Yohan comments

Euthanasia is not allowed in Japan and not only in Japan but in many other countries too. If you want to assist a terminally ill woman to end her life and remain unpunished you have to transfer her to abroad to a country where it is allowed.

As a medical doctor in Japan you should be fully aware of this legal situation.

A consensual killing however is not murder, just my opinion, it is more similar to assist somebody to commit successfully suicide.

Nevertheless, I think a 18 year term in this case is totally over the top. Maybe a 18 months sentence might be acceptable, but surely not 18 years.

To keep such a huge amount of money in a Japanese home is totally irresponsible. However old rich people are often keeping a large sum of cash money at home instead of using a savings account in a bank or post office. This old man was not even living permanently in this house.

Japanese homes offer very poor protection against a break-in by criminals. Often wooden houses can be easily entered through the door and windows and even through the walls.

Hopefully this violent useless man will stay in jail for many years.

I do not understand however this woman - why did she not leave this crazy idiot, she was with him for several years. They were living in Tokyo in Shibuya, easy to leave him anytime and to disappear in this large city.

finally richNov. 19 05:15 pm JST

4.000 women engaging in fatherless activities.

This is just sad to read as a father, imagine having your own precious daughter treated like cattle.

What about as a father to teach such precious daughters to stay away from such strange men?

shogun36 Today 11:25 am JST

...They should teach a class in JHS on how to socialize with others.

Sounds like a good advice, they should teach it however to both, to boys and girls how to react to each other.

Girls are very good to provoke boys with rude and scornful remarks and if the boy is feeling to be insulted and rejected by a girl especially in front of other boys he might quickly get out of control and respond violently.

The point is, whatever the girl is doing with verbal insults, sometimes even physically assaulting a boy, it does not matter, nobody will tell her that she should not do that.

Girls are often bullies too and have fun to belittle boys as they know there is no punishment for such behavior.

In such a situation, the fault is always solely with the boy. The only option he has is to remain silent and to walk away and to be considered as a coward by others nearby, but this is not easy to accept for him of course.

GarthgoyleToday 11:42 am JST

84 years old and still driving, in a nation with so much reliable public transportation.

Not everywhere, it depends where you are living. There are many rural areas in Japan where the next public transportation is rather far away and a small community bus is running only 3 to 5 times a day. To the next larger city it can take more than one hour, especially during bad weather like rain or snow.

When I retired, 65 y/o, 7 years ago, we were moving out of Tokyo to a much smaller city and bought a condominium unit in the suburbs. We were choosing carefully and made sure that the location of our new home is very near to a bus stop of a major road, about 30 to 40 buses running daily from about 07:00 AM to 09:00 PM to the town center, we also got from the ward office senior bus cards, half price of the regular fare.

I am still driving my small car and also riding my motorcycle, I am now 72 and got as a gold driving license holder last year after passing the elderly driver test another 4 years.

However if I cannot drive anymore due to old age, it's not really a problem for us, the building has an elevator, there are various shops and medical clinics nearby and only 150 meter away is the bus stop.

You have to think about retirement when you are 65 year old and to be aware that your daily way of life is changing.

It is possible to live comfortable outside of the large cities even without own car after retirement - there is more space for everybody, less traffic, more greenery, better air and water quality, much cheaper prices if you buy your own home - but it should not be too far outside in a rural remote area - make sure there is regular public transport near your home.

he broke into a house in February, assaulted the 72-year-old man living there and stole 15 million yen...

between 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m

A typical Japanese house, especially the older ones, does not provide any security against burglary.

You are not safe in your own home, not even during daytime.

It is said it is often easier to enter such homes through the walls and not through the entrance door.

If you live in such a house, never keep valuables or such a large amount of cash money in your home.

kaimycahlToday 12:33 am JST

Kid probably didn’t understand the gravity of the situation

Sorry, but there is no excuse for what he did. A 14 y/o boy is mature enough to know that robbery is a crime.

This is not a case of shoplifting, to take something out of a shop without payment.

This is a case of threatening an employee in a shop with a cutter knife demanding money.

AlongfortherideNov. 9 04:46 pm JST

If the girl is 18 or 19 as suggested above there is fault on her part for going to the hotel with him in the first place

As they met on internet - police investigators should look up all online-conversations between them.

There are plenty of young women who create internet profils solely for the reason to meet men for sex in return of money.

Women are not always the innocent helpless little girls as some comments here suggest and blame only men for all and everything if something is going wrong between consenting adults.

I cannot think about any other reason except offering sex for money why a young woman should meet an unknown 52 y/o man for the first time, goes with him immediately and willingly to a private room in a love-hotel.

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AlongfortherideToday 12:56 am JST

If your 18 year old daughter was found to be in a hotel room with a 50 something year old guy she met on the internet would you not ask yourself why she even went there or is that also the guys fault too? I would at least think my daughter has been educated enough at 18 to not even go there in the first place. Perhaps some parents don't care , i'm not sure

I would definitively care as a father and ask my daughter in such a case why she went with such a guy to a love hotel - for what reason, for taking money from him? Or for what else?

I would also ask my daughter if she is doing this with other unknown men too she meets somehow on the internet. Even if it is not for money which means prostitution, it should be noticed that promiscuity is also under certain circumstances considered to be a crime.

Mr Kipling Nov. 8 10:05 am JST

Couldn't he just stop being a violent criminal?

I could not say it better. The risk that something is going wrong, even deadly wrong, is with the criminal and not with the victim or with the police.

This person should never be released. Either jail or secure mental ward. What he did does not really make any sense, this guy most have something wrong within his brain.

virusrexToday 10:38 am JST

Anyway 16 is the minimum age of consensual sex in Japan..

No it is not, specially for producing and keeping pornographic material. This is still clearly and unequivocally a crime.

It is 16 if not related to prostitution. Therefore this girl should also be investigted how she met this man.

If she received money for her services, it is prostitution, requires 18 as minimum age and she should be charged. A 16 y/o girl is mature enough to know the difference between right and wrong.

Something strange that a girl meets a man face to face the first time and agrees to go with him to a hotel and to produce some sex-movies.

I really wonder if this girl is doing this the first time or if this man is only one of her customers.

SpeedToday 01:28 pm JST

Don't film sex with minors!!

Sounds like a good advice. Stay away from minors, it is not worth the trouble. Make sure the girl is 18+ or even better 20+ and not drunk or full with drugs, so she or others cannot easily accuse you later for something regarding the complicated legal situation about consent.

virusrexToday 12:12 pm JST

If you think this is an easy case to prosecute, I guess you are wrong.

No reason why not a 25yo having sex with a 16yo and filming it is as clear as possible, forbidden by law.

A sexual relationship between a 25 y/o man and a 16 y/o girl is NOT forbidden by law (except if it is considered as prostitution, which requires both to be 18+ with money transferred between them)

About filming and keep these movies for themselves, if illegal is the question, it means that not only the man, but also the girl should be prosecuted, as she consented to it.

A 16 y/o girl, even taking such pictures or movies alone, without anybody else being present, could be prosecuted for producing child pornography. Therefore either prosecute both of them, or none of them.

She was not secretly recorded against her own will, she consented to it, as the article says multiple sexual videos have been found in his smartphone.

ZaphodToday 12:00 pm JST

Seems like sour grapes from someone who has a beef with him, not from the girl herself. And he was not in the police at that time. The headline is misleading.

Yes, correct, the headline is misleading. He was NOT a police officer at that time.

virusrexToday 10:10 am JST

If you think that is enough to prove actual consent you are just going to make your lawyers life complicated.

If you think this is an easy case to prosecute, I guess you are wrong.

This incident happend last year in July 2023. He was not a police officer yet at that time, but a student at the police academy.

In general a sexual relationship between a 16 y/o girl and a 25 y/o man is not illegal in Japan (and not illegal in many other countries too). Obviously the girl never accused him of any wrongdoing. The report also mentioned they found multiple sexual videos with the girl in his smartphone.

Age of consent is 16 in Japan. No way to accuse him of statutory rape. To agree to take pictures and keep them only for themselves without intention to forward them to anybody is not illegal either.

A 16 y/o girl can give consent for a sexual relationship however without the intent of prostitution, which means to sell this adult movie against money or upload it to adult websites etc. is legally possible only if both are 18+.

It is nowhere mentioned that she was paid by him. In case she was paid for her service, she can also be prosecuted, as the age of consent for prostitution is 18 and not 16.

IF no money transaction between them can be proven, I guess not much can happen to her and him. They can dismiss him as a police officer, but not much more than that. About her, just nothing.

A 56 y/o woman has been murdered. The question is why? For what? Maybe the killer and this woman know each other?

This crime is likely not done by an outsider coming from somewhere.

Nobody who is not familiar with that area will just walk into this cheap hotel located in a remote area during night.

To go there and get away you need a car, maybe this helps to find out who has done this to this poor woman.

There was never a shortage of rice in Japan, there were some actions about keeping it in warehouses or deliberate delays of delivery to push the price up.

What an idiot, if he wants to see women changing their clothes he can look at pictures and download movies as much as he likes for free from the internet. Ruining his future, for what?

This woman belongs to a secure mental ward, a mother doing something like that cannot be a normal person, something is wrong within her brain.

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.

tokyo_mToday 01:42 pm JST

NAME ONE COUNTRY THAT ALLOWS NON-CITIZENS TO VOTE.

I can name a lot of countries that don't allow dual citizenship (which is the real issue here). China, North Korea, Afghanistan, Libya, India, and Japan.

There are many more countries which do not allow dual citizenship, more than 50 countries, including my own country in Europe. I am a Japanese permanent resident since more than 40 years. No voting rights in Japan.

And so what? I have no problem with that, I am the owner of my condominium unit, car is registered on my name, I can work - no restrictions, have a good health insurance and I report only one time in 7 years to immigration to change my resident card, can travel abroad any time and can come back anytime...

I enjoy my life as a 'gaijin' in Japan.

I know a male relative of my Japanese wife, who did not like his surname and when he married, he took over the surname of his wife.

The Japanese law does not single out the female and says it is the woman who must change her surname, the newlywed couple has a choice. How is this 'discrimination of women'?

Our two daughters had no problem about that anyway, they changed to the surname of their husband.

A female employee in the company where I was working took over the surname of the husband, but as she was well-known for many customers since years she just continued to use her maiden name for her work in the office.

The only complaint I know so far is that it is really a lot of paperwork in Japan to change the surname after marriage (and also again after divorce), it's a hassle, time-consuming, it's about taxes, health insurance, passport, driving license, banking accounts and so on.

I

girl_in_tokyoOct. 29 07:59 am JST

I brought up pedophilia because of the age of the girls working in these establishments. They're young - too young - to truly understand what they're getting into, and older men should know better than to indulge in this kind of behavior with girls who, as I said, should be at home doing homework, chatting with friends, or working at a McDonald's for pocket money. Again, "Because men tend to like young women" - in this case, it's extremely young women, not age-appropriate women, which is highly unethical.

This man who did this to this poor girl will spend many years in jail. No idea really why a man is doing something horrible like that. Ruining his future. For what? It's crazy and there is no excuse for what he did.

However any criminal case of a 49 year old man attacking a 18 year old female is in no way related to pedophilia. To use this term is plainly wrong. A 18 year old woman is surely not prepubescent.

A 18 year old woman is an adult, responsible herself for the job she is choosing. If she want to do such night work, it is up to her. It should be noticed that a girls bar or maid cafe etc. is not a soapland or hostess club. Why should a man not visit such a girls bar, which is in Japan operated as a legal business?

If you don't like the existence of such businesses you better should approach the girls working there and try to chase them away and convince them changing their job - or talk to the business owners who are often 'not so young females' too, ask them to consider to close down and to look for another source of income.

Such a crime is horrible and totally meaningless. Just insist on divorce and move on to your new woman.

Why to kill your wife and child - is this man crazy? For what? For spending years in a jail?

ZaphodToday 11:32 am JST

The sentence will probably be less than what I would give him, but I expect him be sentenced. Too bad we can not bet on this site, that would be a nice reality check.

You are probably right, the sentence might be lenient. They are a couple living together, he was calling immediately 110 and told police what he has done. The court will consider that as a valid argument for a shorter sentence.

I don't understand these people, why are they still living together, they had disputes before. They are only 34 years old and can start easily a new life with somebody else.

Police said they had dealt with verbal disputes involving the couple a total of four times between 2020 and 2021.

And they were still living together - If you cannot live peacefully together file for divorce and move away.

This happened in Osaka, a large city. Just move out, rent a room somewhere else and you are gone, 'disappeared'. 34 years old? Be optimistic, take it easy and start a new life with entire new people.

DanteKHToday 09:55 am JST

That's why I never understand people wanting to live in the heart of the city.

It depends on your job, sometimes you have no other choice.

There are too many people living in Tokyo and around. The same problem in many other large cities worldwide.

After my retirement, 65 year old, I (from Europe) and wife (Japanese) moved out of the Tokyo area to a much smaller city and bought a very comfortable condominium unit nearby, about 6 km outside in the suburbs.

Much nicer than in Tokyo - with forests and a river nearby and by far better air and much less traffic. Real estate in smaller cities in Japan is about 3 to 4 times cheaper compared to Tokyo.

Japan is not everywhere the same, there is a lot of nature outside of the large Japanese cities, plenty of free space - but unfortunately because of my work we could only move after my retirement.

Stolen credit card data are a major problem, I wonder from where all these data are stolen. My two creditcards from two different companies had to be changed already five times this year. Fraudulent claims were coming in from USA, Australia, China, Malaysia....

Despite new card numbers, even not using one card at all, changing all passwords etc. these hackers found quickly out again my full name on the creditcards, the numbers of the creditcards, expiring dates and security numbers on the backside of the card. Obviously security breach in a server where this data are stored.

All fraudulent claims were discovered by both credit companies before billing the amount to me, they were calling me and informed me that a new creditcard is on the way and the old creditcard is not valid anymore.

No financially loss by my side.

About these two guys from China and Vietnam, after being sent back home, I guess they will continue with data hacking again somewhere else.

What an idiot. How can men, not so young anymore, in such a good position be so stupid and ruin their life? What is his status, is he married, has he children, even grandchildren? For sure he is not a poor man and if he needs sex he can call a hostess of his choice to a love-hotel anytime and nobody says a word about it.