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In 2005, Haruna Kojima became one of the inaugural members of AKB48, the Akihabara-based multi-vocalist unit that would go on to dominate the Japanese idol singer scene for the next several years. While AKB48 operated under a policy of regularly cycling out less popular performers and replacing them with fresh faces, Kojima remained a member for over a decade before “graduating” from the group (to use the idol industry’s preferred parlance) in 2017.
Kojima may no longer perform on stage, but that doesn’t mean she’s completely out of the spotlight. Since leaving AKB48, the 36-year-old has worked as a fashion model and started her own fashion/lifestyle brand, called “Her lip to.” As proof of Kojima’s enduring popularity, on Oct 25 her first photo album in nine years, titled "Kamoshirenai," went on sale, and she attended a promotional launch event at the famous Shibuya Tsutaya building in downtown Tokyo’s Shibuya neighborhood.
▼ Cover of "Kamoshirenai"
However, what should have been a happy night for Kojima took a frightening turn after the event’s scheduled program wrapped up. After leaving the building shortly after 9 p.m., Kojima was on the street, walking toward a car that was waiting to take her home, when a man suddenly approached her and grabbed her from behind. Maintaining his grip on her, the man then forced Kojima to the ground before event staff could restrain him and call the police, who arrived and arrested the man on the scene.
The man, who is in his 40s, is a foreign national, though it hasn’t been disclosed whether he’s a tourist in Japan or a foreign resident of the country. Investigators believe that he is a fan who knew Kojima was attending an event in the building and was lying in wait for her to exit the venue. In his post-arrest statement, he admitted “There is no mistake that I grabbed her arm,” though it’s unclear whether or not he’s admitted to purposely forcing Kojima to the pavement, as he added “I held her, but I had no violent intentions.”
Kojima did not suffer any injuries in the incident, and was remarkably chipper in a Twitter post (seen directly above) that she sent later that night saying: “Today was the event for my photo book. It was fun seeing so many faces that that I haven’t seen for a long time! I was surprised to see both veteran otaku and new fans cheering for me. Thank you for coming!”
Source: Nitele News via Jin, Jiji, TBS News Dig, Nikkan Sports, YouTube/ANNnewsCH
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- External Link
- https://soranews24.com/2024/10/29/foreign-man-arrested-for-grabbing-former-akb48-idol-on-tokyo-street-forcing-her-to-ground/
18 Comments
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sakurasuki
I don't know about this foreign national but Japanese perpetrator will say "I don't remember"
Stewart Gale
Yes, we know. This point is made in the comment section about just about every crime story on this website.
Chico3
I hope this idol recovers from that incident. My guess is that person is a foreign national resident. I don't think many foreigners know about AKB 48 outside of Japan. I'm glad they got that guy before anything worse happened.
3RENSHO
The foreign man could not resist her Marshmallow Body...!
GBR48
Don't do the easy thing and just deport him. Convict him of sexual assault and lock him up for a while first. Then deport him to wherever he originally came from.
MilesTeg
You didn't see this article today. Maybe the point is made because it actually occurs regularly.
Jim
Apparently he is a 42year old man from Taiwan who is in Japan on a STUDENT VISA. I just had a feeling that the man must be from an Asian country because of their obsession with idol groups!
Stewart Gale
MilesTag,
The point about “not remembering” and “being drunk” is usually used in a jokey way in comments by various posters on crime stories here.
Was funny the first time, about ten years ago.
Stewart Gale
GBR48,
This sounds like plain assault, there doesn’t seem to be a sexual element to it. Not from the facts described in the story, anyway.
peoplethesedays
Last paragraph says "Nojima". It should be "Kojima".
Moderator: Thanks for pointing that out.
koiwaicoffee
Is the attacker being a foreigner relevant? Because the headliner makes it the focus point of the story.
tamanegi
Sora News hacks probably know exactly where the "foreigner" is from.
Chico3
I'm sure that's what will happen to him. Convict - prison - deportation.
iron man
3Rensho; marshmellow body? that foreigners cannot resist? please we all are supposed to be living in 2024.
DanteKH
Again, another incomplete article copy/pasted from SoraNews.
As other websites mentioned, the culprit is a 42 years old Taiwanese resident, obsessed with idol groups.
There you have it.
Yohan
No idea really what to do with such crazy men, regardless if Japanese or foreigner. In this case I would say, as she was not injured, put him in the next airplane immediately, back to Taiwan, banned to enter Japan for the next 10 years.
thinkbefore
Why the rough handling? He could have just held her gently and say how much he likes her. Strange that he knocked her over. He must be a bit loopy!
Legrande
Seems he wanted to get a real handle hold on her...the down side of being overcome by your obsession, hopefully he can get some help and reset his approach to life.