Idol Arrested For Exposing Lower Body Allegedly Outside Gay Club — Sparks Major Suspicion
On October 4, it was announced that STARTO Entertainment Aぇ! group‘s Richard (Kusama Richard Keita) had been arrested for public indecency, as it was revealed he was seen with his lower body exposed in the early hours of the morning.
Aぇ! group 草間リチャード敬太
公然わいせつの疑いで逮捕 下半身を露出https://t.co/cyJCUv8CoL— ᴋ_ᴍᴀʀᴜ_ᴅᴀᴜ_ʙᴀʙʏ (@k_maru_dau_baby) October 4, 2025
Clips and photos allegedly showing Richard were posted online and garnered a lot of attention.
In particular, many fans, both Japanese and international, thought that it seemed too suspicious and that it seemed like a setup. One Japanese fan pointed out that the trouble seemed to have been caused because his clothes got “stolen.” International fans also thought it seemed suspicious, believing that someone close to the idol had been set up due to the timing and angle of the photos.
これ完全に友達にハメられたな！ https://t.co/00k1dMU7lE
— 楽しんご (@teyan_dei) October 4, 2025
This was a total set up from the friend.
草間リチャード敬太さん。Aぇ担さん。応援してます。大丈夫です。動画見たけど、嵌められてるやろ…。不安そうに不思議そうに何か探してる。下半身露出してるから通りに出ないように。衣服無くなった(盗られた)から困ってるようにしか見えん。めちゃくちゃ腹立つなこの逮捕…
— 春猪 (@z3pfLbVDTJLsR98) October 4, 2025
The more I see the details, the more I mostly believe that these ppl have been setting up on Richa, like the vid seemed to be waiting for him to go outside naked, which is so suspicious at this point
— アンジェ🌈 (@KiriJunjunWEST) October 5, 2025
hey so that richa “scandal” is totally a set up. get behind me you don’t deserve this
— save me (@peachiichan) October 4, 2025
No matter what exactly happened, I think it's quite obvious that Richa didn't go around exposing himself purposefully harassing people, so I hope people stop blaming him now and since it looks like he was set up I really hope he will be protected…
— Aiyani (@AiYani78) October 4, 2025
OK so I've barely slept and have to be at work all day with not much to do (Eiken) so I'm just going to sit and think about Richa and Ae! and feel awful 😞 it's so unfair – he clearly got set up and it's going to ruin his life for no reason… I really hope he comes back 😮💨
— ただいみゅー (@tadaimyu) October 4, 2025
There was also a shot of Richard before the one where he had no clothes on, and it was from the same angle, also stirring up the belief that it was set up, with some continuing the belief that he seemed to have his clothes stolen.
←ビフォー アフター→ https://t.co/c1zh60u4fU pic.twitter.com/Bc5igUgHud
— DEATHDOL NOTE (@DEATHDOL_NOTE) October 4, 2025
It also sparked debate after one fan pointed out that the location seemed like it was outside a gay bar.
え
草間リチャード敬太容疑者が捕まった場所、ゲイバーやん https://t.co/Osjq4FxBnP pic.twitter.com/BzmN5KS0CO— めもたん (@Nenechi_yan) October 4, 2025
Videos then showed a past clip of the idol seemingly at a gay club in 2023.
これ草間リチャード敬太？🤔 pic.twitter.com/zvwQuOYJzd
— たかぴ@情報を追う者 (@108takapi) October 4, 2025
Many fans thought it was wrong that it seemed to speculate about the idol’s sexuality, especially in Japanese society, where it is still traditional in the views about the LGBTQ community.
damn did richa just lowkey get outed 😭
— rii (@midoriicomplex) October 4, 2025
STARTO Entertainment announced that Richard would suspend his activities with the group, but fans are sending support, hoping for the idol’s return.
