Cult Japanese filmmaker Sion Sono has been accused of sexual misconduct by multiple women

Renowned Japanese filmmaker Sion Sono has been accused of sexual harassment on multiple occasions.

The director is best known for films like love exposure and last year’s English-language horror film starring Nicolas Cage Prisoners of Ghostland.

A report in Japan Shukan Josei The magazine features reports from several female actors who claim the director offered them film roles in exchange for sex.

The alleged behavior is said to be connected to Sonos acting workshops, he reported diversity.

The filmmaker has yet to respond to the allegations, although his upcoming workshop has reportedly been cancelled.

The Independent reached out to a Sono representative for comment.

Shukan Josei quotes an executive of a Japanese film distribution company as saying (per The Hollywood Reporter): “Even today there is a director who says without hesitation: ‘If you’re kidding me, I’ll give you a job’.

“His films are celebrated and many actresses want to act in them. He uses that to attack women like it’s nothing. That director is Sion Sono.”

Sono is married to Megumi Kagurazaka, a former model who has starred in several of his films.

In 2019, Sono was hospitalized after suffering a heart attack, which caused filming to be delayed Prisoners of Ghostland.