crime

3 newspaper salesmen arrested over robbery, rape in Saitama

39 Comments

Three Yomiuri newspaper salesmen have been arrested for allegedly abducting, robbing and raping a 20-year-old woman in Urawa, Saitama Prefecture, police said Tuesday. Two of the suspects have been identified as 34-year-old Masafumi Hirakawa, who has been charged with abduction, robbery and rape, and Shoichi Akaboshi, 28, who has been charged with abduction and burglary. The three door-to-door newspaper salesmen were coworkers based at the same branch, police said.

Police believe that on Oct 12 at around 9 p.m., the men called the woman, who works at a club, and with whom Hirakawa was acquainted and asked her to meet them in Saitama. They then allegedly threatened to force her to work as a prostitute at a "soapland," punched her in the face and stole around 20,000 yen in cash. It is alleged that Hirakawa then took the girl to a hotel where he raped her, before stealing a further 50,000 yen and a valuable watch from her apartment.

According to Urawa police, the three men have confessed to the charge of abduction, but deny the other crimes.

A spokesperson for the Yomiuri Shimbun public relations department said, "The men were not employed by us directly. They were employed by a sales company with whom we are affiliated. We are appalled at the incident."

© Compiled from news reports

©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.

39 Comments
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life in jail would be a gentle punishment for these guys.

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It is alleged that Hirakawa then took the girl to a hotel where he raped her before stealing a further 50,000 yen and a valuable watch.

It only says one guy raped her so why does the headline say 3 arrested for robbery rape? Maybe again not the full story being reported here.

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Still amayzing what people do and actually think they can get away with it. I always say that this type of thing is wrong as can be but the speed at which people confess here is mind blowing. Deep remorse will be shown which only means they regret getting caught. They will say that they could perceive things from other peoples perspective.......about 3 years.

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I'm thinking that boycotting the Daily Yomiuri may be a good idea to voice our disgust with the company. I hope these sub-human vermin really cop it in prison. A message needs to go out loud and clear here - rape is just not on.

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"The men were not employed by us directly. They were employed by a sales company with whom we are affiliated"

Ah yes yes there's the distance now that someone got caught for doing something wrong.

a 20-year-old waitress with whom Hirakawa was acquainted

No doubt after sleazing it up outside her doorstep.

Recommended action: punch the next newspaper man that comes to your door, be he Yomiuri, Mainichi or that beer company. Chances are he deserves it.

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Recommended action: punch the next newspaper man that comes to your door, be he Yomiuri, Mainichi or that beer company. Chances are he deserves it.

I'm in for that. I will also add the NHK licence-collection man to that list.

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According to J-news, Hirakawa, one of the 3 men, was a regular customer at a place where the girl works for (she might be a hostess) and he found out that the girl has a boy friend and decided to do what he's done to her.. sigh..

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I dont think the girl's a waitress.. she is a 飲食店従業員 .. usually means a hostess. hirakawa was her customer and that was why he had her cell phone number.

hostess-customer relationship can often cause much troubles..

i hope the guy and the other two will be properly punished.

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The safety country! Yeah, it is safe if you are not a woman and don't drive.

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They then allegedly threatened to force her to work as a prostitute,

How can you force someone to become a prostitute, especially if you already had a previous known relationship with them? I guess they must have had some information on her that she didn't want to get out.

Whatever the case, these nut jobs need to be put in jail. No excuse for roughing up someone like this.

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Many women are forced into prostitution every day, Alphaape. They aren't all trucked in from overseas. All you have to do is lock them in a room so they can't get out.

This story is the reason I don't answer the door if I'm not expecting a package and always felt a bit weird when the delivery guy came. I realize this was not a case of the guys casing her house and coming back later, but when you're female and live alone, you always have to consider that one of those delivery guys/salespeople could be a total nutter or rapist and they know where you live.

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How can you force someone to become a prostitute, especially if you already had a previous known relationship with them

They punched the girl's face and threatened her to make her believe if she didn't obey, she would get physically hurt again. Hirakawa, the guy stole additional 50,000yen after releasing the girl so he knew where the girl lived and he already had her phone number and etc. I don't think Hirakawa's actual intention was to make the girl work as a prostitute but to show her how angry he was to find out she had a boy friend and I think he was trying to tell her what a bitc%% she was (I'm not saying she is, but I think that’s what he was trying to say).

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飲食店従業員 = A restaurant employee, usually a waitress, even if she was a hostess how does that have any bearing on the case?

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This story is the reason I don't answer the door if I'm not expecting a package and always felt a bit weird when the delivery guy came. I realize this was not a case of the guys casing her house and coming back later, but when you're female and live alone, you always have to consider that one of those delivery guys/salespeople could be a total nutter or rapist and they know where you live.

You have a point there, however, this case, the guy (Hirakawa) and the girl already knew each other.

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Alphaape They then allegedly threatened to force her to work as a prostitute,

How can you force someone to become a prostitute,

Stand over them with violence and threats of more violence if they don't.

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@Monkeyz: Very understandable fear, you might try buying a couple of cheap large male shoes and keep them in the entrance in plain site.

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So where are the C.S.I. types in Japan? They would use the blue lights to see the semen, then collet it, analyze it and determine if everyone assaulted the women, or just the one. Kidnapping in American is good for about 30 years in prison. Put these guys away for years!!!

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Saitama is back in the news.

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I'm really hoping that JT will follow this story through to see what punishment these guys get. I'm willing to bet 3 - 5 years like "mobass4u" suggested. The minimum for something like this should be life.

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Some of these newspaper salesmen are pretty creepy. I was home one weekday afternoon when the doorbell rang. My wife answered it and began waving frantically from behind to me while she was talking with the visitor. I came up to the door and there was this 50ish something guy leaning against the door frame with his right arm in those half-tinted glasses, open shirt and a few gold necklaces draped around his neck. When I came to the door, my wife explained to him that we had no interest in the newspaper he was selling because I was a foreigner. After he went away we couldn't help wondering about how many newspapers he was able to sell using that technique on unsuspecting housewives. The guy looked like the kind of low class hoodlum you might encounter at the races, not selling newspapers.

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and the modern "group" male Japanese mentality and evolution takes another step forward. Sounds like one the country's infamous porn themes.

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Door-to-door newspaper salesmen are thuggish, pushy and extremely rude. I'm glad they put the name of the newspaper. They all belong in jail.

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zenobia - why are you glad they put the name of the newspaper? what is the connection with this crime?

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Stand over them with violence and threats of more violence if they don't.

I understand that the threat o physical violence can make someone do prostitution against their will, but all it would take is one time. After that, if they didn't kill her, she should have reported directly to the police, with the physical evidence. I have to believe, that the J-cops would respond quickly to someone who walked in battered.

Maybe I am thinking too logical on this, but if that had happened to someone close to me, I would not listen to their threats and report it, figuring they are banking on you being afraid to report.

No matter what, these idots need to be castrated, not chemically but physically.

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stormcrow, we had the same experience as you in Kobe.

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Maybe I am thinking too logical on this, but if that had happened to someone close to me, I would not listen to their threats and report it, figuring they are banking on you being afraid to report.

he threatened her to make her work as a prostitute and raped her after beating her and then stole money --- SHE REPORTED IT. she did not work as a prostitute.

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@fishy, I see that she did, and I think that is the one bright spot in this story, that she actually went through and reported it.

But, I am sure that there is more to this story than is being reported. But no matter, this type of attack is unexcusable.

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"punch the next newspaper man that comes to your door"

Such an incitation to violence should not be permitted to be printed.

"hostess-customer relationship can often cause much troubles.."

As opposed to what? Husband-wife? BF-GF? You don't have to be a hostess to have guys punching you, stalking you, or abducting you. In fact its probably safer than marriage.

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bobcatfish: I'm glad they reported the name of the newspaper instead of omitting it. Yomiuri, Asahi, etc - all their salesmen lack manners, I don't answer the door.

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also I don't know the connection to this crime, but sadly the culprits background does not surprise me, is what I meant to say.

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Why is it so surprising these newspaper salesmen are the scum of society? It is a crappy job with even crappier pay and these low-lives have no other skills to become gainfully employed. Hence, all these nut cases knocking on your door to harass into buying a newspaper or just to case your place for a return visit. But, I agree, these thugs will do hardly any time in the pen, but kidnapping, deprivation of liberty, extortion, robbery and rape in one incident will land one in the pen for half a century in other countries where child porn and sexual discrimination are illegal and not part of the culture.

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Hehe, I got no gripe with the newspaper sellers. Simply tell them I can't read japanese, read the news online, etc or speak in german, french, greek, etc.

Actually haven't seen them around for ages, never came round after I moved, etc. Ditto for the NHK guys, might be due to an ordnance in my ward.

Granted those 3 guy's should be hit hard.

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Why were only two of the suspects identified?

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real tough guys, huh? they'll get what is coming to them.

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Most of the people commenting on this sounds too harsh on the Newspapers Vendors, I disagree that it is a shoddy job because of this incident! People of all classes do all sorts of evils, including the decent and well dressed salary men! And by the way, I am a student and I do this job every morning. It is such a good way to start my day, and besides it is the only reliable job for me since my school is in rural area.

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My friend is working as a news vendor for 7 hours from 3 am and he is really earning very good. But these 3 guys give a bad name to this profession. Cheap act

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Hirakawa then took the girl to a hotel where he raped her

Y was she following him...couldnt she run away?

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Sunjovi: good for your friend. I think ProphetJP mistook sales for delivery.

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betterdays- he put him in a car.. they didnt walk together to go to the hotel..

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