GSDF member arrested over sexual relationship with 14-year-old girl

Why was this guy out and about after the first arrest? Couldn't they make the charges stick?

Shunsuke Kamata, who had been arrested for having a sexual relationship with a 12-year-old girl in September and was released on Tuesday, was arrested for allegedly having sex with the 14-year-old at a hotel on June 1?????? Whats wrong with this country? Have sex witha 12 year old and get out in a few weeks?

Disgusting on many fronts. What a creep and what was such a young girl doing advertising herself online.

Disgusting. Glad to know people here so far have been unanimous in their condemnation of this person, with no 'extraneous' circumstances. No complaints of unfairly targeting the military here either. Kudos.

I can't understand why the girl isn't labled a prostitute. It doesn't seem like they are engaged in meaningful courtship!!

rjd_jr

No complaints of unfairly targeting the military here either.

Yes, but it will be refreshing to see the next article that describes the demonstrations, mothers up in arms, pleas for protecting the young and innocent, etc.

I wonder how they caught him? Perhaps these kids realised that an LV bag isn't worth it that much and ratted him out.

wOOt!

Wonder if there will be a lockdown of all JSDF forces and appropriate period of reflection? Kamata - claim you were drunk and all will be forgiven!

Who wants to bet that the girl tried to blackmail him after? Yes, she should be called a whore and he a pedo.

The stories about sex following guys hooking up with JHS girls after finding them on mobile phone dating sites quickly get swept under the carpet and forgotten about. Doing something about them would be admitting there is a problem at hand.

they cant stay out of trouble

Tmarie - She is 14!!! Yes 14! She probably hasnt been tying her own shoes and dressing herself for so long. She probably cant prepare herself a decent meal without the help of an adult. Once again, 14!!

Am going to guess that there won't be any protests against the GSDF?

WHAT IS THE PROBLEM HERE!! ?? The legal age for consent in Japan is 13! http://www.interpol.int/public/Children/SexualAbuse/NationalLaws/csaJapan.asp

Check out the interpol webiste/ Wikipedia/ Japan law sites etc. Gotta love this country.

how can you tell who a pedophile is? He doesn't fit in

........

having sex with a 12 year old?

Baldrick - Yes it is, although Prefectural law over age of consent takes precedence over Federal law in this case. Prefectural laws regarding age of consent places the age between 16 and 18 (possibly with one or 2 prefectures having it as 15). Regardless, they are still breaking prefectural law and will/should be held to account.

The comment was in two sections.

Having sex with anyone under 18 is not on. My point is, this counrty (or rather its lawmakers) do not seem to have a problem with it as the legal age for consent is 13. As you can easily validate. 12 is scary.Obviously too young my comment Gotta love this country is sarcasm and contempt for the rediculous rules they enforce here. I.e. Jail term for pot, sex with 13 OK!!? Unbelievable.

When a young lady is 12 or 14 it should be poodle skirts ans cotton candy. What happened to innocence?

Soldave, I think you are missing my point. This countrys National Legislation states that it is OK to have consentual sex with a 13 year old. Some prefecture have higher limits to stamp out enjo kosai (basically prostitution) not for the purpose of restricting underdeveloped girls having sex prematurely.

Initially child pron was leagal as it was due to children having no hair that child porn was legal. This was of course stamped out just before an international childrens rights conerence a couple of years ago, held in Japan, they did this to save face not stamp out child porn. They have only just recently outlawaed possession of child porn here in Japan.

Is that why those prefectures have those laws? Would like to see your source for that.

Tmarie - She is 14!!! Yes 14! She probably hasnt been tying her own shoes and dressing herself for so long. She probably cant prepare herself a decent meal without the help of an adult. Once again, 14!!

Who knows how to meet men via keitai websites. You can't tell me she didn't know what she was doing.

They should have curfews to protect the poor little Japanese girls.

Wow! One can't keep his hands off his gun (2 shots in the Defense Ministry) and another can't keep his gun in his pants! This sounds like a serious crime wave sweeping the nation and I agree, a period of reflection is in order!

Screwed up country. I am surprised this even got in news as Jpn tends to sweep these types of crimes under the rug--esp when it is committed by a Jpns perp.

Police on Wednesday arrested a 29-year-old member of the Ground Self-Defense Force for allegedly having a sexual relationship with a 14-year-old girl in Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture

And this is a violation of...?? C'mon JT. What specific law did he violate? Kyodo is bad enough but you guys really stink.

Shunsuke Kamata, who had been arrested for having a sexual relationship with a 12-year-old girl in September

http://sankei.jp.msn.com/affairs/crime/080912/crm0809122034049-n1.htm

Sexual relationship???

C'mon JT. Instances like this is why they don't let media like you publish the actual name of a minor.

nigelboy

What is it that you don't understand? I'm guessing that the guy is being charged with having sex with a minor.

Nigelboy- totally agree. Does anyone else find the words "sexual relationship" in the headline instead of "rape" strange? I mean that WOULD be the charge wouldn't it?

Moderator: Rape hasn't been proven.

If they put the amount he paid her it would clarify their relationship. He had sex with a young prostitute. He met her at a ON-LINE DATING SITE. It means she accepts cash.

I wouldn´t call enjou-kosei a "relationship". And I am in split mind about the guilt of the guy. Some of the 14-year old students who walk passed my house in their micromini school uniforms look pretty adult to me. Did she tell him she was 14? Article doesn´t say.

Rape did someone say rape! Was she raped?

The guy admits to having her in his car but denies what looks like "sexual assault" to me, "JT".

In my attempt to be a big man, I hastily wrote about the first case; incidentally the charges of indecent assault have been dropped.

This time the guy is being charged for みだらな行為 or indecent behaviour, under the 少年健全育成条例, laws that are concerned with little people. I hope this restores my big man status.

In sum, I don't think the headline is that bad, and I think JT is great.

When a young lady is 12 or 14 it should be poodle skirts ans cotton candy. What happened to innocence?

It had been building up to its brief golden age in the 1950s. Now its going back the other way after disaster in the 1970s and brief revival in the 1980s.

Whats wrong with this country? Have sex witha 12 year old and get out in a few weeks?

Stop. The article does not say they had sex. They used the words "sexual relationship" which is from "waisetsu koi", which is a vague charge. The article says he admitted to that vague charge, but that means little because we do not know what it is.

The article also does not say the girl was kidnapped, beaten, tricked, coerced, paid, or even contracted a VD, so its safe to assume those things did not happen. I know moral outrage alone will make heads explode among gaijin (would love to watch that dude BPA's cranium go up like a Chinese firework factory on this!) but the Japanese do not share those morals. They will approach this with calm, which I dare say is better than the moral sledgehammer many will wildly beat this and anything near it with.

Japanese morality is this: Sex parts must be blotted in pictures and video, and other people are nasty for not doing it. The two sides will never understand each other or agree. So better to forestall the cerebral hemorrhage and let it go. --Cirroc

Baldrick, cut the crap, it is not legal to have sex with 13 year old girls (or 14 year old ones) anywhere in Japan! Got it yet?

This bloke deserves a nice long sentence - shame it won't be in a suitably "nice" place. The girl(s) may or may not be whores. If yes, it would be nice to see them losing their anonymity over this mess.

Baldrick, cut the crap, it is not legal to have sex with 13 year old girls (or 14 year old ones) anywhere in Japan! Got it yet?

Via prefectural law, it is illegal almost everywhere in Japan. According to my concept of jurisprudence, the national law would over-ride the prefectural, but that is not how it works in Japan. --Cirroc

Dammit,

Age of consent for sexual activity

The Article 177 of the Penal Code puts the age of consent for sexual actitvity at thirteen (13) years.

Interpol Section one. http://www.interpol.int/Public/Children/SexualAbuse/NationalLaws/csaJapan.asp Got it!

Show me otherwise that it is illegal.

Baldrick, good point, but the JSDF may be governed my a separate set of laws just as my nation's military.

Of course many laws may be the same, but many may be different, i.e. in the civilian world if you tell your boss to go get stuffed, you won't got to a prison to make little ones out of big ones.

Taspo cards, they all need HOSPO cards to enter a "love" hotel. Or everyone in Japan should be given a bar code according to their year of birth. The upon ntering a hotel pass their tatoo over the scanner. Anyone who is too young will set off alarms-bells-whistles-ect. And hundreds of death dealing riot police can converge upon the hotel.

I think that 13 year-old legality thing its only valid if the boy is no more than a year or two older than the girl. Scumbags routinely get this wrong in their argument as to why they should be allowed to have sex with young, very naive girls

Technically speaking, jurisprudence or also in common law (as we have in most western society) does in 99% of cases, by default (to my knowledge- as I studied law) get overriden by statute law.

As well pointed out by Cirroc this is not necessarily the case in Japan.

My point is and the only point I am making is a group of old men in the Tokyo legislature actually passed a national statue condoning sex with 13 year olds.

If you look at the statute you will see no precondition of the age of other party for age of consent.

Baldrick - you need to have a look at the Prefectural laws as they take precedence over Federal laws in this case. I stated this before but you might not have taken in the point. Therefore if you have sex with someone who is 14, you are breaking the Prefectural laws and subject to prosecution, as they are stronger than the Federal laws in this situation.

Also, am still awaiting your source showing that the only reason Prefectural laws have a higher age of consent is because of compensated dating. Please let me know when you have found your source. It will make for an interesting read.

Soldave, I used a quote from, yes, I am saddened to say this, Wikipedia for that statement. It is not the sole purpose but it is the reason stated.

The National age of consent in Japan is 13, regardless of sexual orientation and/or gender, as specified by the Japanese Penal Code Articles 176 and 177. However, most prefectures have ordinances that prohibit "immoral sexual acts" with minors. The phrase "Immoral sexual acts" is not strictly defined. It is mainly used to prevent minors from engaging in quasi prostitution (e.g. Enjo kōsai). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ages_of_consent_in_Asia#Japan

This needs citation unfortunately I did not realise that. I have otherwise backed up my statement that the National legislature states that 13 is the lucky number for whole Nation. Please now back up your claim prefectures over ride that law.

If you look at the statute you will see no precondition of the age of other party for age of consent.

Yes. Japan does not have Romeo and Juliet. That is an American invention that attempts to fix the problems they created by going nutso on the sex and age question.

My point is and the only point I am making is a group of old men in the Tokyo legislature actually passed a national statue condoning sex with 13 year olds.

What is the difference? Canada just went from 14 to 16. I would not be surprised if the Japan's national age of consent law is even older than Canada's.

Dig into the not so distant past of most countries in the world, and its all about the same. --Cirroc

Age of consent laws in the US vary. In a very real sense, local "community standards" set them.

Dependin' on your point of view, these laws continue to evolve/devolve, just as the laws as to who and to what one may marry may change.

If they were actually in "love" and not conducting a business transaction they probably wouldn't get in trouble. A judge in Nagoya dismissed a case involving a teen and an "adult" because he felt they were in "love" The article didn't say who filed suit against him "adult" but they were in a relationship and not paying for sex. In the case of the Morning Museme singers who were fired for un-celebrity like behavior. One was found going to a "love" hotel with an "adult" while she was a teenager-NO police action but they BROKE the LAW in public---national tv!! PAYING a teen for sex is the troublesome aspect for society. The governor of Miyazaki--that comedian guy has had "problems with young girls that led to him getting a divorce, but no COPS busted down his door and dragged him to a dark hole in the ground. The Okamura pal who was vanquished from Yoshimoto for having "sex" with a 17 year old wasn't arrested. It might be an anti-entrepreneurial attitude that makes this a crime. Especially if an anti-social ellement is supposed to profit from every transaction!!

just as the laws as to who and to what one may marry may change.

LOL. But please, do not feed the moral ragers. --Cirroc

I wouldn´t call enjou-kosei a "relationship".

It's a relationship in the same way as your interaction with the butcher or the babysitter. Hmm....Maybe the babysitter's not the best example.

they contacted each other by cell phone through an online dating service. is just another name for prostitution Ring, just last friday i came back from the bar around 2 o'clock in the morning when a neigbour came home together with a schoolgirl, i bet they did had a tutor lesson. It seems in japan that getting caught is more frowned upon than the deed itself

Baldrick:

http://www.citynews.ca/news/news_22245.aspx http://www.japanprobe.com/?p=2040 http://www.engr.uiuc.edu/international-StudentExperience/AsiaExperience/JapanExperience/Reames_Hiroshima_SU05/law.htm http://laborlawtalk.com/ http://www.avert.org/aofconsent.htm http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/JE31Df03.html http://www.ageofconsent.com/japan.htm http://www.ageofconsent.com/ageofconsent.htm http://www.parl.gc.ca/common/bills_ls.asp?lang=E&ls=c22&source=library_prb&Parl=39&Ses=1

Can provide more if needed, or quite a few prefecturals have their laws available online in Japanese. I know some Japanese friends who were writing university papers on this found this information online without too many problems.

On line dating shuld be taken off on Internet. It reflect's to one of the biggest 'Russian Scams for Brides.' Don't parents respect their duties towards their children, and supervise them when they are on Internet. Sure they nab him, and parents deserve also prosecution.

BBLeo - but if online dating is taken off the internet, won't it become... offline dating?!

Soldave, Your first link doesnt work. Second link :I doubt that" Japan probe" should even be considered a reference. Is just a statement that you have repeated with no references whatsoever. Third link, nope not valid. Fourth link : A discussion board for Labor laws. No references to what we are talking about. Might be useful to send me a related reference. Fifth reference states from 13 years old.- No reference to Prefectures overullings. Six link doesnt work. Seventh link although it is sponsored by Viagra, backs my claim of the age of 13. It has a story down below which has been edited to look like it is illegal to have sex with someone under 18. But if you read down further you can see it actually adds the term "in echange for money". No comments about prefetural over rulings. Seventh link does not work either.

If you have any reliable sources (I.e not sponsored by viagra or a discussion board, i.e. a news worthy site or even better statute law of information that shows how most prefectures have laws, as you mention, override national statue in relation to the minimum age of consent I will be satisfied.

Japanese law is also fine as I can read that.

Although the age of sexual consent in Japan is 13 years of age, prefecture law usually overrides federal law, raising the age up to 18.

From footnote 8 for Japan in the list on the following link:

http://www.avert.org/aofconsent.htm

If you have any reliable sources

That is always the trouble. Plenty of sources. So few can really be considered reliable. Most are just going off of what someone else said. --Cirroc

"Seventh link although it is sponsored by Viagra, backs my claim of the age of 13. It has a story down below which has been edited to look like it is illegal to have sex with someone under 18. But if you read down further you can see it actually adds the term "in echange for money". No comments about prefetural over rulings. Seventh link does not work either."

So either the 7th link worked or it didn't. You can't state that it has a story and then that it doesn't work. That makes me think you haven't tried any of the links and are just making things up. No comment on the Avert.org link either.

Just checked the links again and they were all working for me here in Japan. The laborlaw.com one I added as a reference as I was a member of that 2 years ago and remember a pretty long thread in there about it.

It also depends on what you are classing as a reliable source. You were using Wikipedia as a reliable source until questioned about it, and most people with an ounce of sense know to take remarks sans citations in there with a small mine's worth of salt.

Baldrick - still awaiting a "credible" reference on the compensated dating front.

Baldrick - Alternatively I could call my own prefecture's and a couple of surrounding prefecture's law offices (I have a few contacts) and get their individual ages of consent for you. Or would information from the prefectural offices not be seen as being "credible" by you?

Soldave,

Obviously I have tried to look at the sites as I have commented on them all. Such a nonsencial statement.

There were so many links (without statute nor credibility to what you were trying to validate) I lost simply lost count. Look at my comments in order of links and you will see that they all pan out and are valid (except for the on Cirroc rightly points out that I missed but that is not a reference, just a statement with no facts to back it).

I should have not used the comment about enjo kosai as it had no reliable citation (as none of yours do).The statement is in doubt and I retract it for now. Until I can prove it with a reliable citation.

I have searched your statements and been able to access the canadian parliament link by alternate means but again it is just a reiteration of exactly the same thing with no references or facts to back it. Just a statement with no source.

Just because you participated in a forum 2 years ago on a site that talks about "labor laws" does not substantiate your claim about prefectural laws overriding Japanese national age of consent issues.

I agree wikipedia needs monitoring but has proven to be as reliable as Encyclodia Brittanica. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/4530930.stm Even still I retracted the enjo Kosai statement above.

Anyhow, you were going to prove to me that most Japanese prefectural laws override National statute laws in relation to age of consent in Japanese or English.

I stand by my one reference to Interpol. I asked you back up your statement.

If you friends can find reliable sources please send them on. As I said I will satisfied if you can provide me with any reliable sources that most Japanese prefectural laws over ride National laws in relation to age of consent.

Soldave,

"Baldrick - Alternatively I could call my own prefecture's and a couple of surrounding prefecture's law offices (I have a few contacts) and get their individual ages of consent for you. Or would information from the prefectural offices not be seen as being "credible" by you?"

You asked me to reference. I referenced. I asked you to reference you tell me "oh I have friends who know the laws"

Just send through the reference/ link/ statue allowing the statute to be overridden and that will be the end of it.

No need for sarcasm. Just substantiate your claim.

I still say get rid of these stupid age-of-consent laws and you take away the excitement of breaking them. Problem solved.

It's about time someone in a high social order got caught for taking advantage of 'children'. It is disturbing Japanese society didn't even have child protection law until recently.

It is also a concern that parents of these teenagers do not monitor the Internet activities their kids engage in. I guess the type of girls who get into this type of 'business' are often not getting enough attention from their parents.

We have a theme going today with underage girls and child porn. I will guess this girl probably was saving up for a new LV bag. No sympathy here for the girl or the guy just more enjou kosei happens every day.

Can't really feel much sympathy for the girl here, I mean, she put herself up on that cellphone dating site, and she knew what she was getting into. Parents need to monitor how their kids use the phone more.

As for the guy...do you think he knew her real age beforehand or not? Cuz a lot of those sites I think make you have to say you're 18 to join. I feel kinda bad for him in a way if he didn't expect an underage girl, but if he knew she was 14 and still went ahead with it, I can't feel sympathy for him either.

At 12 years old the first girl was under the age of consent therefore she was raped. She wan't old enough to consent to having sex. It's as simple as that and whether she consented or not is not open to debate. It is a case of STATUTORY RAPE.

CavemanLawyer - I don't know where you got your info from, and the link is a load of rubbish, but I guarantee you that the age of consent has NEVER been 13 years old in Japan!!

CavemanLawyer - I don't know where you got your info from, and the link is a load of rubbish, but I guarantee you that the age of consent has NEVER been 13 years old in Japan!!

A link of your own would go a lot further than your guarantee. --Cirroc

The Japanese dating websites that I have seen have a clear warning that they are off limits under 18. So how is the guy even supposed to know she was 14 unless she told him? Seems to me the JT lynchmob is too fast with their judgements this time.

WiLib she showed hi, a fake ID? or maybe he was just gullible?

I should have seen it before, but just because he was released from jail for the incident with the 12 year old does not mean he is free to go. He was either out on bail or awaiting trial I bet. I also would not be surprised if the police intentionally held back on the incident with the 14 year old just so they could rearrest him and hold him for another 3 weeks. --Cirroc

Dennisbauer:

" WiLib she showed hi, a fake ID? "

When is the last time you asked a date to show you an ID? If she looked 18, why would he doubt it, especially if he was horny enough?

I suspect its more likely, they held him for a few days, and let him go, considering that punishment enough for having sex with a 12 year old. Then he reoffends with a 14 year old, and they're like... Whoops. They never punish these rapists appropriately.

Then he reoffends with a 14 year old, and they're like... Whoops.

You have paid absolutely no attention to the dates.

They never punish these rapists appropriately.

Do you have any idea how much you dilute the concept of rape when you throw this situation into the mix? Rape is a crime of horrible violence. What we have here is called statutory rape, and it is an attempt to make a general rule of thumb concerning age an absolute law. There is nothing here to suggest that either girl is distraught. They put themselves onto the dating service. There is reason to believe they knew exactly what was going on, so please stop lowering the seriousness of the word "rapist" by applying it here. --Cirroc

age of consent blah blah...this is still not on. On both sides of the coin. I consider a woman to be one who has the ability to be socially AND financialy independent as an adult in the adult world. These girls, although they are doing very grown up things are still just little girls. Japan seems to be in a hurry to push them into the world of sexual objectification, but then looks all surprised when this stuff starts to happen. Easiest rule of thumb, 18. But get a look at the ID first maybe.

Consent... You do understand this concept right? Sex is what happens between two consenting adults. Rape is what happens when only 1 of the 2 consent. If a child is involved, then they cannot by definition consent. This is Rape!

Yet in some countries the age of consent is as low as 12. What makes them more adult than girls in other countries where the age of consent is 18 or even 21?

The definition of "child" in itself is one of great debate. When does a child become an adult? Is there such a thing as a child or an adult? 50 years ago in the UK, people left school and got jobs when they were 14, now 14 year olds have to attend school. 150 years ago, 6 year olds were working in cotton mills and mines, now we treat 6 year olds as if they have no ability to comprehend even the most simple of tasks.

I'm sorry, but laws that distinguish between child and adult are bullshit, and are based purely on social norms of the time period and country in question. It's better to look at things from the perspective of: has a person been taken advantage of because of their immaturity, or did they make a conscious decision to do what they wanted. The fact that a 16 year old girl could legally have sex in the UK, but if she then went to certain states in the US and did it her partner could be charged, is nothing short of ludicrous.

I just find it hypocritical when people want to charge a 14 year old who murders someone, claiming that they were fully aware of what they did, yet in the next breath say a 14 year old can't be mature enough to decide whether he or she wants sex. For Christ's sake, I wanted sex when I was 10, and a thousand years ago when life expectancy was in the 20s, people were in their sexual prime, birthing babies all over the place, in their early teens.

the GSDF member should be imprisoned for a long time, possibly life. These deviants, nust know punishments will be tough.

Very nice post kringis. Good to see some perspective and history rather than the moral tempest in a teacup we so often see. --Cirroc