Ennosuke Ichikawa, a renowned actor in Japan’s classical kabuki theater, has been taken into custody by police on suspicion of aiding his mother’s suicide. Last month, when emergency responders arrived at his residence in Tokyo, they found his 76-year-old father and 75-year-old mother unconscious. Both were later pronounced dead due to what is believed to be a drug overdose.
Ichikawa was found hiding in a cupboard in the residence and was taken to the hospital for medical attention. According to NHK, he told officers that the family had discussed life and death and his parents had consumed sleeping pills.
The actor has achieved stardom in kabuki theater and has performed in several cities, including London, Amsterdam, and Paris. His arrest was confirmed by police sources and was captured on television footage of him being transported from the hospital to a police station.
Ichikawa, whose real name is Takahiko Kinoshi, is a renowned kabuki actor. He made his debut in 1980 and was even nominated for a Laurence Olivier Award for dance performance, as stated on his website. Recently, his home was searched and sleeping pills were found. The police had reason to believe that he may tamper with evidence or try to escape, so they decided to arrest him. Investigations about the cause of his father’s death are still ongoing.