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© 2013 AFPJapanese diplomat in San Francisco gets year in jail for wife abuse
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© 2013 AFP
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Nessie
Not until the pebbles turn to boulders /
Lush with moss.
Lowly
Seems short, but much better than the nothing he might've got.
But the screwdriver and the teeth-- he better be watched when he gets out, or he will be going after his wife to kill her for getting him put in jail, I bet.
Harshana- I thought they just did sign the hague...?
Surf O'Holic
Wow, a whole year. And pretty sure he won't be in the GP. If he DOES go in the GP, he'll come out...a changed man.
tmarie
A few questions...
20 to one year? WTF? Considering all he did, that is sick.
Are we sure he won't hightail it back to Japan and be saved? Revoke his passport and ensure he is not allowed to get another one.
Why hasn't he been fired? Disgusting. If he was caught drunk driving he's be done. Beat the crap out of your wife? No problem.
Why hasn't SHE also been charged? From what I recall, she pounded on him as well. BOTH should be charged and jailed. Men suffer violence as well.
Have they divorced? And why on earth would a woman stay with a man she suspects of cheating? Oh right, no job...
FightingViking
ONLY ONE YEAR ???
cramp
san mateo huh...he'll feel pretty at home, there's a good jp community there
maybe he'll get to visit B street sometimes
gaijintraveller
“As of today he is the vice consul, and I emphasize ‘as of today,’” Watanabe was quoted as saying.
I am confused. What was he yesterday? Consul yesterday, demoted to vice-consul today? Or has he just been promoted to vice-consul from some less important position? Is it possible a "not" is missing?
timeon
tmarie, I think that's the reason why he got a much shorter sentence. I assume it was not as clear cut as this news may suggest, probably both of them were aggressive, but the guy did more damage. People, get a divorce before strangling each other in a crazy marriage!
Tahoochi
tmarie and gaijin traveller: I think what this guy Watanabe is saying is that they decided not to fire him until they got the official verdict from the courts and reported them to Tokyo who probably will give the instruction or has the authority to fire him.
herefornow
He pleaded guilty back in December. Why is he still a government employee? What kind of message does that send?
Balefire
@cramp That's true about the community, but I've seen the San Mateo County jail/prison, and it's far from a comfortable place to be. It might be more pleasant than a Japanese jail, though, except that he may find that his cellmates are controlled/observed considerably less than would be the case here.
Even so, it seems a pity that his lawyer was able to make such a favorable deal and that he got such a light sentence.
I do get the impression that there is probably more to the story of the couple's relationship, if the DA figured that a jury wouldn't give him a harder time over so many other charges (the assault with a deadly weapon sounds easy enough to prove, for example), and thus agreed to a greatly reduced set of charges in his trial.
There's a little more information here, but not much. It seems as if the various charges may have been for different instances of abuse over time, and that might have led to the deal, for lack of sufficient evidence, maybe: http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Wife-abusing-Japanese-envoy-gets-year-in-jail-4364477.php
Thunderbird2
Disgusting... this evil bugger should rot!
Cos
Yesterday, a vice-consul not convicted. Today, a vice-consul convicted. The deputy consul hopes that tomorrows, he'll be an unemployed jail inmate, but Tokyo has to stamp the form.
isoducky
20 years down 1 on a plea bargin....Something is not being said. The only satisfying news is that he will likely be deported after his sentence and then he will never be able to return to work at the state department. Also he is likely never able to obtain a visa in another country.
Maitake
How the hell can they do this? He is a felon! Felons belong in prison. What a POS.
BurakuminDes
Ridiculously short sentence. I really hope this cowardly wife basher has fear haunting him constantly about what's coming up. Not so tough in there I suspect, weak maggot!
Fadamor
Seems the main reason for the large reduction is because the prosecution dropped the "assault with a deadly weapon" charge as part of the plea agreement. You can't sentence someone for something they aren't being tried for, no matter how much of a low-life scum the defendant is.
Sperry
Wow. Looks like diplomatic immunity does have some uses.
Triumvere
That's it?
smithinjapan
I hope he finds the reciprocity he forced on others in jail.
sfjp330
Well, he pleaded guilty to two felonies. If it was a bad relationship, unfortunately, neither one of them decided to break it off and get a divorce. If there was constant act of violence that was going on for a long time,, why didn't his wife leave him and divorce him? Why put up with it and hide it for so long? Like most Japanese women, she was probably afraid of what other people will say, especially since this low life was working in a consulate. Maybe this women has a mental issue.
Fadamor
If you're implying that diplomatic immunity resulted in his light sentence, then you need to read-up on what diplomatic immunity actually IS. As a vice-consul at a Consulate, Nagaya is not eligible to claim diplomatic immunity for acts not related to his position in the Consulate.
sfjp330
Japan's relevant statutory scheme somewhat ambigously declares that the Japanese will not allow foreigners to visit who have been convicted and sentenced to imprisonment with or without work for one year or more, or to an equivalent penalty. Maybe Nagaya should be treated as a foreigner that is not allowed to go back to Japan. They don't need him.
Marilita Fabie-Fujisawa
Thank God that didn't happen here or he'll come out a free man...
smithinjapan
Wow, from 20 years to one. Pretty good deal for him, methinks. And he still hasn't been fired from his job!
humanrights
And when he gets back to Japan after his sentence, he will find her and abuse her again, but this time its allowed, as JP has 'No restraining orders' or Divorce rights over suspicions or domestic violence.
YankeeX
Good. Scambag!
jojo_in_japan
When he returns to Japan I wonder what will go thru his mind when he fills out the immigration card and has to check the box for, "HAVE YOU BEEN CONVICTED OF A CRIME?" ???
lucabrasi
@jojo
He's Japanese; he's not going to be filling out any immigration card to enter his own country.