Chiba Institute of Technology President Denies Suspicious Relationship with Epstein

The Yomiuri Shimbun

17:00 JST, March 5, 2026

CHIBA — Chiba Institute of Technology President Joichi Ito, in a recent internet post, denied any suspicious relationship with American businessman Jeffrey Epstein, who died in custody after being indicted on charges including human trafficking of underage girls.

Ito explained on his website on Tuesday, “I never personally witnessed any of [Epstein’s] horrific acts that have since come to light, nor was I ever aware of any evidence of them.”

According to his explanation, while Ito was engaging in fundraising activities as director of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Media Lab, a position he held starting in 2011, he was introduced to Epstein by a member of the lab’s advisory committee.

Ito resigned as director in 2019 when MIT came under criticism following Epstein’s arrest. However, he said that a subsequent investigation by the university “confirmed that he had not violated any laws or regulations.”

Nonetheless, Ito said that he will resign at the end of this month from two government-linked positions he currently holds, as a member of the Cabinet Office’s Global Startup Campus Initiative operating committee and the Digital Agency’s Digital Society Initiative Conference. He stated that he will instead “focus on [his] duties as [university] president.”

The U.S. Justice Department disclosed a large volume of investigative materials on Epstein in December last year. These documents listed the names of prominent figures with whom he had interactions, including a person who is believed to be Ito.