Economist Takaaki Mitsuhashi released following arrest for assaulting teenage wife

48, has been released from custody following his arrest last week for allegedly physically assaulting his teenage wife. 

Shouldn't he have been arrested for HAVING a teenage wife? Even if she's 18, the guy's 48.

He also once unsuccessfully ran as an LDP candidate in the 2010 upper house election and has spoken out against Japan taking more immigrants.

Yeah. Real piece of work this twat is.

Domestic abuse. It starts like this and escalates. It's never just once. I hope that young woman doesn't stay with him out of fear or coercion.

A 48 year old married to a teenager. That definitely doesn't raise any red flags.

Why did the court order the release? That typically only happens when the victim declines to cooperate with prosecutors, which is an indication that the cycle of spousal abuse has begun.

It seems like men here often bite. I wonder why that is.

You gotta know there's something wrong with a guy who marries a child

Why doesn't he just use his real name?

Shouldn't he have been arrested for HAVING a teenage wife? Even if she's 18, the guy's 48.

That's legal.

He looked dodgy from that beard

I think I'd give my daughters 10 times the grief for wanting to marry someone thirty years older when 18 than I would if they wanted to marry someone with a mohawk, tattoos, and no money.

I hope she takes him for a fortune.

That's legal.

If she's 18. I'm still curious as to why the article doesn't give her age..

Nasty, creepy guy with some very strange ideas. He simply wouldnt have any credibility in a normal country.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C18_G6wIh-Y

Yeah he's a creep, but on the other hand an 18 wanting to marry a 48 year old... she also needs some help

Gee the biting factor was a good look. That’s what you get when you marry someone young enough to be your daughter. Your charm that comes with age and experience wears off real quick, then what exactly do you have in common ? Not much usually.

@Aly Rustom

Women can marry from 16 years old with the parents permission.

Women can marry from 16 years old with the parents permission.

Thanks for that. BTW, do you know if it varies from prefecture to prefecture? Because from what a lawyer friend told me the age of consent does.

why do people always blame/attack the older guy in a may-december relationship? it's like women are completely powerless in these types of relationships. if the woman in this article was powerless, she wouldn't have reported the abuse in the first place.

@Aly Rustom

I don't believe it does. I heard about the age of consent, but nothing about marriage, as marrying before 18 (even before 20) is pretty rare.

Anyway, dating someone under 20, even legally, would raise eyebrows, so I think most japanese people would avoid it (I was told to be particularly careful ! ).

Anyway, dating someone under 20, even legally, would raise eyebrows, so I think most japanese people would avoid it (I was told to be particularly careful ! ).

Yeah that's what I was told too. Thanks for all the info!

48 years old with a teenage wife... and the guy is an Economist, which means he probably has a Masters or Doctorate Degree. Now... any of you guys out there, especially if you're over the age of 40, think about the idea of marrying a girl in her late teens. I couldn't even fathom it. Sure we shouldn't be restricted to social norms... but how could he have ever thought that their marriage would work in the first place. I would question his ability even as an Economist after hearing this.

So when she was aged 0, he must've been at least around 29 years old. And that's giving him the benefit of the doubt.

Wow. Just wow. Not that every element of this story is weird enough, he's a biter too. Crazy Nihon!

I wonder what she said to provoke him to the point that he bit her?

Now... any of you guys out there, especially if you're over the age of 40, think about the idea of marrying a girl in her late teens. I couldn't even fathom it. Sure we shouldn't be restricted to social norms... but how could he have ever thought that their marriage would work in the first place.

@saiko, I largely agree with that, couldn't do it either. Thing is we're all different, look at Macron who married a woman 24 years his senior, they seem to be doing ok.

Yeah he's a creep, but on the other hand an 18 wanting to marry a 48 year old... she also needs some help

Agree with that too. Marrying someone 30 years younger is no more bizarre than wanting to marry someone 30 years OLDER.

So if we take age out of the equation, this is 'just' another DV incident and the bloke needs to be severely punished for it. As for the young woman, she shouldn't waste her time with such an emotionally unstable man.

Nice.  Puzzled as to why we didn't get the standard satsu statement as to what he said.  Like "I was drunk and don't remember" or "I was angry with her so bit her".

Bet they have deep meaningful conversations at home about the state of the economy or the latest Hello Kitty bag.

I personally know a guy married to a woman 31 years younger than him, and another guy married to a woman 24 years his senior. Both marriages are productive and reasonably happy. It's nobody's business if it's legal and people need to shut up with the comments criticizing marriages with large age gaps.

Maybe he should get together with Woody Allen and make a movie.

I do agree with Civitas on this though. I am 13 years older than my spouse and do not see any difficulties.

Maybe she was getting too mature for him.

BeowulfOkamiToday  10:55 am JST

I wonder what she said to provoke him to the point that he bit her?

Well well well, a victim-blaming apologist for abusers. And it's 2018.

It's nobody's business if it's legal and people need to shut up with the comments criticizing marriages with large age gaps.

I agree. If two people like each other, who cares what their ages are. (Note, I'm within a few months of my wife in age, so this isn't a personal issue for me).

She made a bad investment... Perhaps.

While many countries around the world are embracing the "Me too" movement and women are stepping forward and laws getting tougher towards assault (particularly sexual) on women, Japan takes another step backwards, even celebrating the people who do it. No punishment for this guy, it seems, and I don't see that he's been taken off the air or pushed to comment on it. Instead some are defending the guy on his ridiculous views.

Was he initiating the Klingon mating ritual? Also, why the court's rush to release him, even if he's obviously guilty?

Teenage Wife the guy has game.

The guy has status and money, not game

Mika MIfune started dating Joji Takahashi when she was 13 and he was 37 I believe, and married when she turned 16. We all know how that turned out.

I cannot imagine marrying someone 30 years younger, and a teenager at that. I wish them well, but it is not for me.

My wife has slapped me, kicked me and bitten me twice in our marriage, but that was in the early years. It caused me huge soul-searching, but it would never have crossed my mind to involve the police. Sounds like their marriage was doomed anyway. Age difference probably little to do with it.

If your wife or girlfriend tells the police you have hurt them or abused them. You are going to jail in this country at the beginning of the investigation. No discussion what so ever. Even if you know in your heart of hearts you didn't lay a finger on her.

To many woman abuse this right of power in this country. I have seen it and experienced it.

Now, if you did it. Then that is another story.

Sounds like Takashi Nakamura and his wife better seek some marriage counselling. As far as the age difference.

If two people are happy together. Who are we criticize the sacrament of marriage? Not my business.

Its only news cause of his status.