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Chihayafuru Actress Suzu Hirose's Brother Arrested for Drunk Driving

Suzu Hirose is probably best known for portraying Chihaya in the live-action Chihayafuru films. She was also the subject of a public falling out in 2015 after she made comments interpreted as belittling technical film staff.

It's been years since Hirose made the comments and her career has continued. She's even signed on to star in NHK's 100th "serial television novel," titled Natsuzora, next year. But Hirose has found herself in another difficult PR situation after her older brother was arrested in Shizuoka for drunk driving on Monday.

24-year-old Kōya Ōishi was allegedly driving in Shizuoka at 3:20 a.m. on Monday while under the influence of alcohol and using a smartphone when he rear-ended a company car driven by a 44-year-old man. Neighbors who heard the collision called Japan's emergency number, 110. A police officer arrived at the scene and gave Ōishi a breathalyzer test which showed he was over the legal limit. The 44-year-old man suffered minor injuries to his neck.

According to police, Ōishi initially denied being drunk because he believed enough time had passed before he started driving.

Ōishi is the older brother of both actresses Alice Hirose, who is 23-years-old, and Suzu Hirose, who is 19-years-old.

Since his arrest, images from Ōishi's Facebook page began circulating online. He posted images of sake and other alcoholic beverages and claimed that he was drinking in excess. The pictures were posted in 2012, when Ōishi would be under the legal drinking age in Japan. Websites are also labeling him as an otaku because of his social media posts sharing his Gundam models and discussing tokusatsu programs like Kamen Rider, Space Sheriff Gavan, Ultraman, and more.

The discovery of Ōishi's social media accounts has also revealed photos of his sisters that would be considered funny or silly for most but also unflattering for a celebrity.

Source: Chunichi Shimbun via Yara-on!, Buzz Plus News (Link 2) (Yamashiro) via Yara-on!