crime

17-year-old boy arrested for forcibly kissing school girl

48 Comments

Police in Iwamizawa, Hokkaido, have arrested a 17-year-old high school boy for forcibly kissing a junior high school girl at the entrance to her apartment.

According to local media, the incident occurred at around 5 p.m. on Sept 21. The girl was quoted by police as saying that when she arrived at the entrance to the apartment building where she lived, the boy came up behind her, pulled down her face mask and kissed her.

Police said the girl told them she did not know the boy.

After the incident, the girl told her parents who notified police. The boy was arrested on Friday night and has admitted to the allegation, police said.

© Japan Today

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48 Comments

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Well, at least that’s ALL he did.

Maybe he really likes her, not a perv this time.

-12 ( +10 / -22 )

Been watching too many Japanese dramas. He skipped the riding together on a bicycle scene, now he’ll have to fast forward to the standing in the rain and shouting/crying scene.

33 ( +41 / -8 )

We live in a society that is a lot more paranoid and fear-filled than a few years ago.

21 ( +27 / -6 )

Someone needs to teach him the "lean in" for the first kiss.

17 yr old kissing anyone 4 yrs younger is a problem, unless it is his sister and on the cheek, unless your family does the quick-peck kissing that some families do.

-12 ( +4 / -16 )

This creep is betting on being underage to be left off without consequences. Japan really needs to make a sex offender registry.

-13 ( +7 / -20 )

OOOOOOps, Bad boy.

3 ( +6 / -3 )

17-year-old boy arrested for forcibly kissing school girl

Of course that is not good news and that this type of abuse cannot be tolerated..

However, the fact that this kind of news is a national headline shows again that Japan is one of the safest countries in the world... Whether you like it or not...

0 ( +12 / -12 )

He should not have been arrested. He was just doing something an adolescent boy would do when not advised. He could have been sent home and his parents advised to talk to him.

-5 ( +15 / -20 )

He kissed a girl and she didn’t like it…

10 ( +15 / -5 )

Stephen Chin Today 09:25 am JST

He should not have been arrested. He was just doing something an adolescent boy would do when not advised. He could have been sent home and his parents advised to talk to him.

Normal boys don't forcibly kiss young girls. He's a sexual deviant in the making, and hopefully being arrested will teach him a lesson, and keep him on the police's radar so that if he does anything similar they can get him help before he really hurts someone.

-2 ( +19 / -21 )

TokyoLivingToday 09:10 am JST

Of course that is not good news and that this type of abuse cannot be tolerated..

However, the fact that this kind of news is a national headline shows again that Japan is one of the safest countries in the world... Whether you like it or not...

What it seems to say is that Japan is safe for men. I don't know if you're aware, but the news doesn't publish every single case of sexual assault that happens. And in fact, only 4% are even reported.

-8 ( +14 / -22 )

He needs some extra lessons.

7 ( +7 / -0 )

17 yr old kissing anyone 4 yrs younger is a problem, unless it is his sister and on the cheek

And you know she was 4 years younger how? She could have been 15 too!

Never understand why folks choose to assume things to attempt to make a point.

15 ( +18 / -3 )

17 yr old kissing anyone 4 yrs younger is a problem, unless it is his sister and on the cheek

And you know she was 4 years younger how? She could have been 15 too!

Never understand why folks choose to assume things to attempt to make a point.

But how old was the girl ?

Does it matter? Really now, JHS is JHS, figure out the age she could be! Or do you have to have people actually think for you.

Well, the point is moot, considering it's sexual assault either way. Also they didn't know each other. And in addition, had this happened a few months later when he turns 18, it could have been listed as statutory rape. And this punk should be locked up because he will do it again.

But, YES. It can make a difference. JHS in Japan starts from around ages 11-12 and ends at around 15.

The boy was 17.

SO a 15 and 17 year old In an American high school, they would be a junior and freshman. A dating couple of those ages would not be that rare of a thing, only a two year difference. Assuming they know each other and it is consensual.

Now, if the JHS girl was 11 and he is 17, that's definitely a different situation. A sicko in the making.

-10 ( +4 / -14 )

In Japan you'll be arrested for kissing somebody. And it will make national news. Perhaps the guy was a serial kisser. Could have just set up some community restorative justice.

-4 ( +6 / -10 )

The boy has issues for sure and he's been arrested. He needs counseling but any real jail time would be a bit much.

7 ( +12 / -5 )

WA4TKG - Maybe he really likes her, not a perv this time.

Being attracted one's victim is certainly no excuse for sexual assault.

thaonephil - This creep is betting on being underage to be left off without consequences. Japan really needs to make a sex offender registry.

They certainly do. But, even if they did, it is unlikely that a 17-year-old would be added to it, unless it was an especially egregious assault.

Stephen Chin - He should not have been arrested. He was just doing something an adolescent boy would do when not advised.

Sexually assaulting a random junior high school girl is definitely not advisable. It is also worthy of arrest, albeit not necessarily prison for an offense of this level. Perhaps counseling and community service, if they have such a thing in Japan.

kurisupisu - He kissed a girl and she didn’t like it…

Of course she didn't like it. That's because it was forced upon her against her will by a stranger.

Yubaru - And you know she was 4 years younger how? She could have been 15 too!

Irrelevant. The offense would be just as serious if she was 13, 15, or even the same age of 17 as the boy she didn't know who forcibly kissed her against her will.

BigYen - We don’t even know in this case how old the girl is, or even what’s actually meant by the word “forcible”. Does it actually mean ”with force” or does it merely mean “unwanted”?

Moot point. Again, the girl was forcibly kissed against her will by a boy she did not know.

These types of articles always seem to have a high number of comments defending the men/boys who commit various acts of sexual misconduct, whether it's groping, upskirt video, verbal abuse, or outright sexual assault/rape. One would think that everyone would be against such behavior. But, apparently not. At least there hasn't been any victim-blaming, as of yet.

-2 ( +7 / -9 )

BigYenToday  11:59 am JST

This is a 17-year old kid. Immature. In other circumstances, people would be referring to him as a “child”, and in truth, he’s not much more than that.

This is a 15-year old kid. Immature. In other circumstances, people would be referring to her as a “child”, and in truth, she’s not much more than that.

hmm. Interesting how it changes completely when you focus on the girl instead of the boy.

We don’t even know in this case how old the girl is, or even what’s actually meant by the word “forcible”.*

This matters? Because if she’s 17, or 18, it’s okay if a boy puts his mouth on her without her consent?

And you need “forcible” defined, because the fact that this boy followed a girl he didn’t know all the way home, to her building, isn’t creepy enough to convince you that she didn’t consent?

Many kids have made mistakes like this, *

Yeah, lots of 17 year old boys follow girls at random to the vestibules of their homes and then force kisses on them. How dare we take this incident as a serious breach of her privacy and right to bodily autonomy?

And yet we have adults on this page calling him a creep, a sex offender, a sicko, and a sexual deviant in the making. *

Right, because it’s not at all creepy or abnormal for a boy, who is physically bigger and stronger, to follow a girl home and force her to kiss him. In fact, men do this all the time!

Actually, it does happen all the time, which is exactly why it’s so important to recognise the seriousness of this act, and to address it now, while he’s young and still has a chance to learn better.

Just like that, for one relatively trivial adolescent error.

This is what some people were saying after Brock Turner raped that woman behind a dumpster. Now you’re using it in the exact same way to excuse this boy from a lesser, but still serious, sexual offense.

I wonder when men will start to understand that women have the right not to followed and touched by men they don’t even know.

But adults who would dismiss a kid, a fellow human being, in the way they have on the basis of one incident need a few lessons in decent human behaviour too.*

You mean in the way you’re dismissing the girl?

And for the record, no one is “dismissing” this boy. What we are doing is taking this incident more seriously than you seem to think is necessary.

No one wants to throw him in jail. We only want to make sure this won’t be swept under the rug as some innocent adolescent error, when it’s clear that it’s more than that.

-11 ( +6 / -17 )

Today  12:24 pm JST

In Japan you'll be arrested for kissing somebody. And it will make national news.

Correction. You’ll be arrested for forcibly kissing someone you’ve secretly followed to their home.

Or do you not see the difference? Because that would be terrifying.

-7 ( +9 / -16 )

In Japan you'll be arrested for kissing somebody. And it will make national news. 

This isnt on the national news.

6 ( +8 / -2 )

BigYenToday 05:15 pm JST

Nice attempt at deflection, but I’m dismissing no-one.

Deflection is when someone doesn't answer the question posed to them and instead deflects to a new topic. I didn't do that, because I then said:

"And for the record, no one is “dismissing” this boy. What we are doing is taking this incident more seriously than you seem to think is necessary.

No one wants to throw him in jail. We only want to make sure this won’t be swept under the rug as some innocent adolescent error, when it’s clear that it’s more than that."

So - not a deflection; although you sure did deflect when I pointed out you were more than willing to throw the girl under the bus in by trying to re-define forcible to make light of what the girl experienced.

You began this dismissal business by describing the boy, prima facie, as not “normal” and a “sexual deviant”. I suggest his behaviour is a result of adolescent ignorance, you suggest he should have known how to behave with all the maturity and sense of a fully-fledged adult. Is that what you think 17-year olds are, fully-fledged responsible adults?

No, but I expect him to know that he can't follow a random girl home and then force her to kiss him. Do you have any clue how terrifying that must have been for her? Or did you not even stop to think about that?

Why are you setting the standard for boys so incredibly low? I mean, we teach toddlers not to hit people and they can understand that. Are you saying that 17 year old boys are not capable of understanding that you can't follow cute girls home and force kisses on them? In other words, they can't understand the concept of consent?

We’re not dealing here with anyone who raped a woman behind a dumpster. We’re talking about a 17-year old who kissed a girl against her will. Your comparing an unwanted kiss with a rape, and trying to conflate the comments made about them, is utterly out of kilter with reality and an attempt to smear both the boy and other commenters.

Let's not exaggerate. As I clearly said, this is a case of a lesser, but still serious incident, and my point is that you're using the very same argument that has been used time and time again, in case after case, to dismiss mens' responsibility for getting consent from women before touching them.

Indeed not. On the basis of one minor behavioural offence, you’re condemning this boy as a sexual deviant, abnormal, and a potential future rapist who has to be watched by the police.. For the record.

Now try your best not to exaggerate this; I know how hard it is, but do try.

For the record, I think that following a random girl to her home and forcing a kiss on her as she is standing in the vestibule of her home is not normal behavior, and shows that this boy bears watching by his parents and kept on record by the police, and needs educated in regard to what consent means.

Because IF he doesn't learn, and IF he gets in any more trouble, this incident will show a pattern of behavior that will indicate possible sexual deviation.

-6 ( +5 / -11 )

What would have happened if it was your daughter?

2 ( +6 / -4 )

 this is a pretty minor offence?

Any case like this is never a "minor" offense to the person you are replying to here. A guy could accidentally brush up against a female and would be guilty of assault.

3 ( +7 / -4 )

girl_in_tokyoToday 09:49 am JST

Normal boys don't forcibly kiss young girls. He's a sexual deviant in the making, and hopefully being arrested will teach him a lesson, and keep him on the police's radar

What he did was wrong, but to call him a 'sexual deviant' without knowing anything about him and why he did this is wrong too.

It could be a stupid prank or dare even instigated by his friends or it could be that this young man is a typical Japanese loner with no friends and lives in a fantasy world with computer games and mangas.

1 ( +5 / -4 )

YohanToday 08:16 pm JST

What he did was wrong, but to call him a 'sexual deviant' without knowing anything about him and why he did this is wrong too.

Now, what did I say about not exaggerating what I spelled out very clearly?

It could be a stupid prank or dare even instigated by his friends or it could be that this young man is a typical Japanese loner with no friends and lives in a fantasy world with computer games and mangas.

I wonder if you realize none of that would make even the slightest bit of difference to the girl.

-3 ( +4 / -7 )

What is the underlying cause of these actions in Japan ? Is it really the crappy J. TV shows ? Or perhaps Manga, or Social Media itself, that's encouraging these people to act in the way that they do ?

0 ( +3 / -3 )

BigYenToday 07:09 pm JST

For the record. Neither do I. But I think describing it as a “serious sexual offence”, as you did, is a serious case of the exaggeration

The part where he followed her home is the part that worries me most - as someone who has experienced this, I can tell you it's terrifying to realize someone has been walking quietly behind you with the aim of finding out where you live. Then he forcibly kissed her, without ever even having met or spoken to her previously - this is way outside the bounds of normal social interaction. So yes, this is serious, and it should be taken seriously. In other articles online, the police are calling it "indecent assault". If you prefer, we can use that term instead of "sexual offense." So a "serious case of indecent assault" - is that better? Because there is no way I would agree to your dismissal of this incident as "a relatively trivial adolescent error." Following someone isn't trivial, particularly not to the person being followed, and then kissing someone without consent is not simply "an error".

But if you have a better way to put it, without trivializing it, I'll hear you out.

I ran your description of what the boy did past a woman I know and respect. Her responses to your assessment of it could be described as dismissive and derisory, as I suspect many women’s responses would be.

How does that not surprise me.

How about if I ask a few of my male, and female, friends, too? Should be interesting.

Do we have to go through a description of all the permutations of illegal and perverse behaviour that are possible between one willing and one unwilling person before we get a concession from you that actually, this is a pretty minor offence? Probably.

Let me put it this way. I have been forcibly kissed before by someone I had just met. Some guy at a club walked over, talked to me for a little bit, and then pushed up against me and forced a kiss on me, with me reacting by trying to push him away.

It scared the HELL out of me because I had NO idea what the was going to do next - he already put his mouth on me; I couldn't make him stop; he wouldn't back off when I pushed him; he was too strong for me to escape; and in the end I had to slip under his arm and run to the bathroom to hide. I felt dirty and gross and violated and scared. And I took it VERY seriously.

So let me ask you: do you think the girl who experienced this took it seriously? Or would she call it "a relatively trivial adolescent error"? And whose perception matters: yours, or hers?

-5 ( +5 / -10 )

An individual of whatever age is arrested for serious crimes like theft, cruelty to animals, shop lifting, killing, etc.etc. But not a 17 year adolescent boy for kissing a girl.

-4 ( +3 / -7 )

Stephen Chin - An individual of whatever age is arrested for serious crimes like theft, cruelty to animals, shop lifting, killing, etc.etc. But not a 17 year adolescent boy for kissing a girl.

For forcibly kissing a girl against her will, which deserves arrest.

-2 ( +3 / -5 )

Not a lot of info.

maybe a game of truth or dare gone wrong?

Way too much over reaction. in the comments. Calm down nerds, we don't know even half of this story.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

YohanToday 08:16 pm JST

What he did was wrong, but to call him a 'sexual deviant' without knowing anything about him and why he did this is wrong too.

It could be a stupid prank or dare even instigated by his friends or it could be that this young man is a typical Japanese loner with no friends and lives in a fantasy world with computer games and mangas.

girl_in_tokyoOct. 2 09:28 pm JST

I wonder if you realize none of that would make even the slightest bit of difference to the girl.

It makes however clearly a big difference to the boy and how police will consider this case.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

girl_in_tokyoOct. 2 09:51 am JST

What it seems to say is that Japan is safe for men. I don't know if you're aware, but the news doesn't publish every single case of sexual assault that happens. And in fact, only 4% are even reported.

I really wonder how you calculate these 4 %. Underreported likely, but how to calculate 4%? Who created this estimate of 4%?

BTW, there are many crimes which are underreported, like theft, burglary, pickpocketing...

Japan is not only safe for men, but for women and children too. Japan of course is not crime-free (such a country does not exist), but compared to many (or even most) countries worldwide Japan remains remarkably crime-low.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

I thought public affection like kissing in public was frowned upon.

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

Was there a kabe-don?

if so, then it's all on the up-and-up, lol

0 ( +1 / -1 )

YohanToday 01:15 am JST

I really wonder how you calculate these 4 %. Underreported likely, but how to calculate 4%? Who created this estimate of 4%?

That number has been quoted a number of times in different news articles. I first read about it here: https://toyokeizai.net/articles/-/200210?page=3

It is apparently in a book written by a sex crimes prosecutor, who got the number from the white paper on crime.

BTW, there are many crimes which are underreported, like theft, burglary, pickpocketing...

To think you actually wrote that. To imagine that someone's reaction to "rape is only reported to police in 4% of cases." is "well, other crimes are under-reported, too."

I mean, what could anyone even say to that?

Japan is not only safe for men, but for women and children too. Japan of course is not crime-free (such a country does not exist), but compared to many (or even most) countries worldwide Japan remains remarkably crime-low.

I'm not sure why people keep saying this. Why does this matter to women in Japan? What about the 96% of rape victims who never report? It means that Japan, like any other country, is not safe at all for women.

-2 ( +3 / -5 )

A casual search also found this:

https://ampmedia.jp/2021/10/09/sex-crimes/

Headline translated into English: A lot of sex crimes go unpunished. The current situation in Japan is behind developed countries

Of course, this is one person's opinion. But please note that it is rather easy to google these things. So instead of arguing with me, why don't you use that time to learn how Japanese women view this topic? You can search for that. In fact, I urge you to search for that. If you do not, then it must be assumed you are not really all that interested in the reality of the situation.

-1 ( +3 / -4 )

BigYenToday 07:08 am JST

It’s a good question. My perception doesn’t matter ...

Exactly. Full stop.

But then neither does yours, really. You describe an incident in a club and your reaction to it as you experienced it, other people experiencing such an incident would describe their reactions differently.

Poll is in. I put this question to my friends just as you put it to your friends.

Every person who replied said this is sexual assault, and said they would have reacted very strongly and would have defended themselves, physically if necessary. So does that prove I'm right? No, it proves my friends agree with me, and yours with you - which kind of par for the course, no? So there is little point in taking these kinds of polls of friends as if they prove something.

At no point during this exchange have I suggested that the boy did nothing wrong.

You called it a mistake. And there is a huge gap between calling something a mistake and calling it a crime.

At no point during this exchange have you made even the slightest concession to the fact that a 17-year old is neither legally or emotionally an adult and should not be judged by adult standards.

This is not judging by adult standards. Getting consent before touching someone in a sexual way is something people ought to know by the time they are old enough to know what sex is. So let's say, at the latest, 12 years old. He is 17, and I don't think you can make the claim that a 17 year old doesn't know what sex is, doesn't know that you shouldn't touch girls sexually without consent.

I also pointed out that even toddlers can learn things like "don't hit people". So why are you setting the bar so low for a boy in saying he can't understand or isn't supposed to realize that you can't follow a girl home (!) and kiss her without consent?

I prefer some degree of restraint when assessing the bad judgments made by adolescents. You prefer the big stick and the blanket condemnation. That is not an exaggeration.

It is a HUGE exaggeration. Tell me what is wrong with what I said about this boy needing counseling from his parents, a good talking-to by police, and bears watching so that if a pattern emerges, he can get help early?

Explain what is extreme about that.

-3 ( +2 / -5 )

girl_in_tokyoToday 10:04 am JST

Tell me what is wrong with what I said about this boy

You called him a 'sexual deviant in the making, and hopefully being arrested will teach him a lesson, and keep him on the police's radar ...'

Read back your own comment! (girl_in_tokyoOct. 2 09:49 am JST)

girl_in_tokyoToday 07:42 am JST

https://toyokeizai.net/articles/-/200210?page=3

This case about Yamaguchi/Ito - obviously 2 adult persons who have too much money to file lawsuits against each other - is so weird, that even judges of various courts had their problems to decide about what is right and what is wrong.

I would not compare Yamaguchi/Ito with a boy kissing a girl - nor is this a proof that only 4 % of all sex-crimes are reported.

girl_in_tokyoToday 07:53 am JST

A casual search also found this:

https://ampmedia.jp/2021/10/09/sex-crimes/

This is written by a Japanese woman who is not living in Japan but in Finland. I see no reason why Japan should follow laws in Denmark. Laws are not the same everywhere worldwide - in United States laws are even different from State to State. To compare France or USA with Japan and because there are more police reports about sex crimes etc. does not mean that in Japan 96 % of all sex crimes are unreported.

There is also a big difference between reported sex-crimes and convicted rapists. Many trials are not ending in a conviction but in acquittal and not only in Japan.

Again, what has this all to do with a boy kissing a girl. If you claim Japan is not safe for women, you have never been out of Japan - believe me or not, many countries worldwide are much more dangerous for women than Japan.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

JTCOct. 2 09:54 pm JST

What is the underlying cause of these actions in Japan ? Is it really the crappy J. TV shows ? Or perhaps Manga, or Social Media itself, that's encouraging these people to act in the way that they do ?

Yes, true, good question. I think, many young Japanese men are simply said lonely, have no good job, are often sitting alone in their small room, drinking, are too much into all these stupid TV shows, Manga..and are dreaming in a fantasy world. Life is really boring for many of them - and of course they also do not know any female friend.

Some of them are wasting their little money in pachinko, others into crazy activities like bozosoku, some even commit suicide.

Life, especially in small cities and rural areas like in this case, in Hokkaido in a city called Iwamizawa (never heard of that place before) must be really depressing for a man without family. In such places in Japan, unlike in the large cities young men always outnumber young women by a wide margin.

In evening it is getting totally dark outside and you can walk around in the streets with a torch light for hours and you will not see even a single person.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Let me put it this way. I have been forcibly kissed before by someone I had just met. Some guy at a club walked over, talked to me for a little bit, and then pushed up against me and forced a kiss on me, with me reacting by trying to push him away.

SO because this "supossedly happened" to you, does that make it right to call this kid all the things you called him? Do you know him? How did his action affect you directly? I was taught "one bad apple spoils the whole bubch", but how you see it "one bad apple IS the whole bunch"!

0 ( +2 / -2 )

BigYenToday 11:05 am JST

So - no concessions from you about age, then. Why do you think we have a juvenile justice system, as opposed to an adult one? It’s no good just pointing out that kids know the rules and therefore should be expected to abide by them. We make allowances for underage offenders precisely because despite the fact that adolescents know some things are wrong - assault, for example- they do them anyway, because they lack the behavioural controls that adults have.

Concessions for his age in what regard? What exactly do you want from me, here? Yes, the juvenile justice system applies in his case, so I imagine he won't be charged, will be released, and when he's 20, his record will be sealed.

As for him not knowing the rules: Did his parents not teach him not to touch girls in a sexual way without their permission? Did his sex education at school also not educate him in this regard? Where might have he gotten the impression that when a boy likes a girl, it is okay to follow her home and force her to kiss him? Why would anyone think it is okay to force another person to kiss them?

Huge, and very problematic issues, indeed.

Now go back to my first post. People were calling this kid a sicko, a creep, a sexual deviant in the making. In the face of that kind of language, all I asked for was some consideration for the fact that he’s only 17 years old, and that 17 year olds make mistakes which don’t automatically mean that they’re guilty of being any of those things. Nothing extreme in that.

Regardless of his age, it is creepy to follow someone home, and it's scary that he thought he could kiss her without her consent. It it also not out of line to speculate that, if not taken care of now, while he is young, then there is a chance he could do this again, or something more, in the future.

My personal opinion about what should happen to him is exactly the same as you’ve eventually come around to. Counselling from his parents, and a good talking-to by police.

This was my stance all along. I don't know why you seem to think otherwise.

-4 ( +0 / -4 )

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