"Alice in Borderland" Star Nijiro Murakami Accused of Assaulting Former Partner

Content warning: This article contains themes of physical abuse and assault. Reader's discretion is advised.

Japanese actor Nijiro Murakami is currently under fire over allegations of physical abuse and assault involving his former girlfriend. She reportedly filed a complaint with the Harajuku Police Station in early 2026, and on June 28, Nijiro publicly addressed the allegations for the first time.

Nijiro, who portrayed Shuntarō Chishiya in Netflix's Alice in Borderland, allegedly assaulted his former girlfriend at his home on four separate occasions between March and May 2024. He was accused of grabbing her by the hair, slamming her head against a window, and repeatedly hitting and punching her. The injuries she sustained reportedly required more than a month to heal.

Japanese news agency Jiji Press reported that the 29-year-old actor admitted during police questioning that he had caused her harm. His statement translates to, "There's no doubt that I injured her." However, prosecutors are still reviewing the evidence and have yet to file formal charges.

The actor publicly addressed the incident for the first time on June 28. He shared an apology on Instagram and X, written in both Japanese and English, saying, "I would like to express my sincerest apologies for the considerable concern and inconvenience I have caused to everyone involved and to all of my fans and supporters."

He continued, "For the sake of those who have always stood by me, I will address the circumstances surrounding this matter in my own words in the near future," indicating that he intends to provide a fuller explanation at a later date.

According to Japanese media outlet NHK One, Nijiro's management agency, Decade, has also commented on the matter. In a statement, the agency said, "We are still investigating the facts, but it seems that his actions when trying to stop the woman's problematic behavior were excessive."

It also said that discussions regarding his future activities are ongoing and that he "is also remorseful." The statement concluded, "We are very sorry for what happened." The quotes are English translations of the original Japanese statement.

Nijiro was set to appear in the upcoming anthology series Strange: Junji Ito's Tales for Sleepless Nights, which is slated to premiere worldwide on July 3. TV Tokyo, the television network where it will be airing, has decided "to cancel the broadcast and distribution of Episode 1," where Nijiro would have starred as the lead actor. The anthology series will still air as scheduled, but beginning with Episode 2 instead.

Beyond acting, Nijiro also serves as the chief executive officer of the esports and entertainment team UNLIMIT. The organization released a statement on X on July 1.

As reported by Nikkan Sports, UNLIMIT said in a statement (translated from Japanese), "UNLIMIT takes this matter very seriously, and will temporarily suspend Nijiro's activities as UNLIMIT CEO until the facts have been confirmed by his management company." The company also said it would take appropriate action based on the outcome of the investigation and "deeply apologize for causing concern to all those involved and to our fans."