crime

47-year-old man arrested for kidnapping high school girl

19 Comments

A 47-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of kidnapping a 17-year-old high school girl after he took her to his home in Tokyo’s Setagaya Ward and kept her there for six days following an online correpondence, police said Sunday.

According to police, Masakatsu Yamaguchi, an employee of a game development company, has admitted to the charge and quoted him as saying, “I was hoping for a sexual relationship if all went well,” Fuji TV reported.

Police said Yamaguchi invited the girl, who lives in Utsunomiya, Tochigi Prefecture, to his residence after reading a message she posted on a social networking site that said, “I’m thinking about running away from home.”

Yamaguchi suggested she come and stay with him. He drove to Utsunomiya early on the morning of Feb 18 and picked up the girl who stayed at his place until Feb 23.

Her parents reported her missing on Feb 18 after finding a message in her room, saying she was running away from home. Although the girl appears to have gone with Yamaguchi willingly, he has been charged with kidnapping, as she is a minor.

A police officer spotted her getting on a shinkansen train bound for Hakata, Fukuoka Prefecture, on Feb 23. She was taken into protective custody when the train arrived in Hiroshima. She was not harmed, police said.

Yamaguchi surfaced as a suspect after street surveillance camera footage showed the girl getting into his car in Utsunomiya. His name was also obtained from correspondence with the girl online.

© Japan Today

©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.

19 Comments
Login to comment

Glad she is unharmed. Thank God he seemed to be concerned about having her consent because this incident could have ended up so much worse. But he should be arrested anyway because it's really not right for him to be taking in/inviting in a minor, especially as he admitted he had hoped things would go well between them and lead to a physical relationship. One must wonder how bad her situation is at home that she would consider staying with a stranger 30 years her senior as a better option.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Thinking about adopting a young J girl :)

1 ( +1 / -0 )

sir_bentley28Today 09:08 am JST

This sentence doesn't make much sense. Wouldn't it be easier to charge him anything along the lines of a peadophile and get him off the streets? He is old enough to be her father and he was hoping to "get with" a 16yo?

Read up on what the term means so you will be less confused in the future. She is 16, that makes him creepy, not a paedophile.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Although the girl appears to have gone with Yamaguchi willingly, he has been charged with kidnapping, as she is a minor.

This sentence doesn't make much sense. Wouldn't it be easier to charge him anything along the lines of a peadophile and get him off the streets? He is old enough to be her father and he was hoping to "get with" a 16yo?

At least she was safe.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

I personally wonder just how many young women are in situations like this. Knew a young woman, when she was in 2nd year of HS, she ran away from home, and was living with a guy in his early 20's.

Family never reported the issue, and sadly she ended up have a kid with this guy and he ran off to mainland, and now she is living at home with Mom and Dad.

Her very bright future pushed into a direction she never could have imagined, all because of a dumb argument that no one seems to remember what it was all about.

At least in this case the parents were on the ball, far too many parents here have no idea where their kids are or what they are doing, and sadly too, many kids have no idea where their parents are either.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

I don't understand the part of that she was taken into custody in Hiroshima. She is from Tochigi and taken to his place in Tokyo but she was picked up by police in Hiroshima. Was he arrested in Hiroshima or Tokyo?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Jonorth: I was actually wondering myself about that for a moment, but if I recall the young woman (I refuse to say "girl") in that incident was 19 (beside the 11-year-old). In any case, glad the young woman is okay. I hope that things at home can be worked out and she doesn't end up "kidnapped" again.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

I kind of agree..... yes it is super weird he picked this girl up but but unless he held her against her will I dont see the kidnapping charge!?

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Well I just found the post myself, and apparently that was another person. Creepy they happened so close together in time.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

they and if, sorry about the typos!

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Is this the same guy who had invited an 11-year old runaway to his house? I remember reading the article and the mentioned he had another girl there but they weren't yet sure is she was also kidnapped.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

More has to be done to understand why she was so desperate to run away. Domestic violence, school bullying, sexual abuse???

but a 47 year old man trawling the internet for 17 year old girls...he should be kidnapped to jail.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

This is how jisho.org breaks down the characters

entice, lead, tempt, invite, ask, call for, seduce, allure

kidnap, falsify

ゆうかい

誘拐

Noun, Suru verb

1. abduction; kidnapping; kidnaping

5 ( +6 / -1 )

She went to his home on her own accord, so how the hell is that kidnapping?

We've discussed this before. As the law is written (in Japan too) kidnapping also includes enticing them to go willingly.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

“I was hoping for a sexual relationship if all went well,”

Just another sexually perverted and immoral middle aged Japanese creep!

1 ( +6 / -5 )

She's a minor, therefore it was kidnapping.

Luckily, it seems the guy did not take advantage of her.

6 ( +8 / -2 )

She went to his home on her own accord, so how the hell is that kidnapping?

It's not, it's 誘拐. Japanese and English are not one-to-one equivalents, and as such, sometimes terms aren't as applicable when translated between the languages. Don't get too hung up on it - it makes sense in Japanese, and it is the standard charge that is put onto people for these incidents. It doesn't sound right in English, but Japan is not an English speaking country, so it's all good.

3 ( +7 / -4 )

She went to his home on her own accord, so how the hell is that kidnapping?

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

I am glad to say that she has been found safe and unharmed, also its nice to see the J cops tracing here quickly, I mean to spot a girl getting onto a train, just think how many people get on and off a bullet train every day, its like looking for a needle in a hay stack, and I would like to know why was she heading for Hakata, and how did she afford it? as its not cheap. I know kids run away all of the time, but in this case she was lucky, and I hope that it has opened her eyes.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Login to leave a comment

Facebook users

Use your Facebook account to login or register with JapanToday. By doing so, you will also receive an email inviting you to receive our news alerts.

Facebook Connect

Login with your JapanToday account

User registration

Articles, Offers & Useful Resources

A mix of what's trending on our other sites