Man arrested for abducting four young girls for 17 hours

anthony39 wrote: Japan - a country which allows people to possess child pornography.

Maybe he just wanted to add to the sick collection of images of children been abused, that is not considered a crime in Japan.

I won't suggest why 4 pre-pubescent girls went to his apartment overnight, apparently not under duress.

It would be strange if his intentions were entirely innocent but he was still jailed, when he could have photos of the children been raped entirely legally!!

(or is it only foreign children been raped that Japanese pedophiles are allowed to look at?)

TOTALLY GROTESQUE AND CRIMINAL. How Japanese!

Investigator said -

'guy who neglects to inform the parents that he is having 3 children enjoying a sleep over'

are you living in peter pan fantasy world???

Who is more sick, the guy who neglects to inform the parents that he is having 3 children enjoying a sleep over at his place, or people who read about it and just have to imagine sex was involved? You just cannot put the words "man" and "girls" in a headline without JQP entertaining a lurid sex image on the spot. Sad people. And sick.

This story... is just weird.

And candy? Seriously? That's pretty old fashioned.

Dolphingirl...I thought the same as you a little over 24 hours ago.

Then I had the bizarre experience of some of the kids in my neighbourhood suddenly taking an interest in me. Last night, they followed me, in the dark, tittering and giggling, almost all the way to the train station. Today, they followed me almost to my door in my apt building. The only reason they didn't get as far as my door was that I refused to go up until they left. I didn't want them knowing which door was mine. I also, having read this story the day before, didn't want people to see kids following me up the stairs. They don't know me and neither do their parents. They are about as street wise as a potted plant! Parents and schools really need to teach kids more about the dangers of talking to people they don't know. Hell, at their age (about 8 or 9) I was taught not even to accept drives from people that I DID know in our neighbourhood! But to ask a stranger for candy??? That's really a worry!

I now see how the kids would have gone with him willingly. As for staying with him that long, maybe since they trusted him from the beginning, they probably totally believed whatever he might have told them.

I wonder if being Ibaraki has anything to do with it. That is, country behavior different than city behavior? Still 8-11 year olds not coming home for dinner is just unacceptable. As a child I would have been shaking with anxiety at not returning home without getting permission. I get the feeling "permission" from parents might not be the norm in this country, or shall we say, from people in parts of this country? Its one part of the unpredictable nature of these people. They seem to suddenly do things (like say some derogatory comment about being a gaijin to you right in your face) or not do things (like apologize for dropping their a strap of their bag against your glasses in the train) that belies a true concept of "wa". What do you think? Was that what happened in this case. They felt because there was four of them together that they didn't need anyone else's permission? Somethings gotta be behind the act. If they were 13-15 that's another matter, but 8-11?

Sounds this guy was known as the neighbourhood 'go-to' guy for candy.

Geez, even my 8-year-old knows he needs to come home for dinner. The oldest girl is 11, and she didn't even think that they needed to go home? Besides, it's already dark outside around 6pm and they were supposed to go home at that time. I am curious what the guy said to the girls to bring them back to his house.

Maybe this guy was lonely and no adult women cared about him, so he wanted to enjoy the evening (innocently) with the young girls.. Weirdo. Thank God these girls returned safely.

Totally creepy and bizarre. I find it hard to believe that these girls went with him completely 'willingly'? If they really went without any force, wouldn't they have thought to call their parents or say they have to go home for dinner? The poor parents must have been freaking out when their kids were out all night! He must have threatened or coerced them in some way. This guy sounds very dangerous! The fact that he denies it was kidnapping is even more disturbing.

Also, it says that they weren't 'injured' but how well did they check these girls out for signs of sexual abuse? Did the girls get to talk with a psychologist or counsellor?

I agree with what many people are saying about safety edudation. Police officers should be going into schools to tell children about the dangers of talking to strangers and other issues. And I'm not blaming the parents here, but it sounds to me that these girls were lacking any kind of good judgement or common sense and it IS up to the parents to be teaching their kids those things.

Do Japanese mothers instill in their kids from infancy, "NEVER go anywhere with a stranger!"

It does not matter what country your from; when it comes to dealing with kids and strangers it is the parents responsablity to teach and guide their children. How a child turns out has something to do with their upbringing( not solely but a good basis). For a child to know good judgement they have to see it at home and have been taught and explained it. If the parents dont teach it then who will TV, the Internet or maybe the schools or even better yet Strangers.

Well as the article clearly states, this guy wasn't a stranger. He knew them. It's still illegal though, just not against their will. As minors he cannot simply have them over at his house overnight without their parents permission. If he got permission that would have turned out a different story. He sounds lonely in any case.

Strangers have the best candy.

"On Sunday morning police spotted the group of five walking together near the supernarket"

Seems the girls were in no hurry to go home.

Goto is nuts.

For goodness' sake they are children! So posters here think they weren't kidnapped because they were enticed by candy? Wake up people please!

It's an odd situation, but abduction? It doesn't sound like anything actually happened! The girls went willingly. They were not help against thier will. Were not harmed. They were not molested.

Wow! And I thought the US was hysterical over everything sex. This didn't even involve sex.....just a stretched presumption of it.

I really don't think it can be compared with "blaming the victim" to wonder exactly what parents/schools here teach kids about safety and stranger danger. I read so many cases in the news here about children willingly going off with strangers that it really makes me wonder. When I was young, not only my parents but my school gave regular lectures on safety and strange people. I don't have kids, so I don't know if Japanese schools offer the same, but I would be interested to know. These kids did nothing wrong, it's the nature of children to be trusting. That's why it's an adult's responsibility to teach them to be cautious around people they don't know. If you think that can compare to blaming a victim, you're sadly misinformed. We are responsible for our own safety in this world, that's a fact. As an adult, I know that if I leave somewhere with a stranger, I am taking a risk with my life and body. To know this fact and act appropriately is called prudence, and it is not knowledge you are born with. Children (in EVERY country) must be given the skills to protect themselves. It's irresponsible to not protect a child, it's irresponsible to not warn them, and in a country with such a low birth rate, it's practically criminal to ignore the lack of education they are given in these matters, IMO.

I'm not blaming the children for their ignorance, I'm blaming this man for his criminal behavior and to a lesser degree, society for not giving these children the tools to deal with this situation. This could have easily been a situation where none of these children ever came home again. That's the tragedy here.

Teach your kids to say no, teach your children to not go to a stranger's house and if some person tries to kidnap them off a street corner, teach them to scream as loud as they can and fight. Most importantly, teach them that it is NOT normal for an adult person to want to be their "friend", because it's not normal. As a 30 year old woman, I have no desire to befriend a strange child. Were I a 30 year old man, that would be even more abnormal, and that's true in every country.

Give children the knowledge they need to prevent this kind of stuff from happening! Stop sweeping it under the rug with that lame excuse of "Oh, it happens in every country." Sure, of course it does. That doesn't excuse us of our responsibility to prevent child abduction through stiffer penalties for offenders and education for the children. Again, this is simple prudence.

scary stuff, I'm glad they were found safe.

is it abducting even no force is done? maybe those kids are related to him in anyway

The guy did commit a crime, however, he didn't touch the girls in an inappropriate way or any other way so to speak. Yet, if he took my daughter like that he wouldn't be amongst living...This whole thing was so weird.

First off, can I PLEASE reiterate that children this young shouldn't be out by themselves, especially at night? What worked in the past doesn't work anymore. There are too many weirdos, sickos, and creeps out there. Parents, keep your kids at home. There definitely needs to be more education here around the issue of child safety, for the parents AND the children!

Secondly, can someone please help me here? The girls were "picked up" around 6pm, then "released" at 10:40am when they were spotted by police walking near a grocery store approximately one kilometer from Goto's home. Earlier in the story, the author stated that "One girl lived nearby Goto and had met him before..." So these girls were wandering the streets with Goto in and around the vicinity of his home, which presumably would then be in and around the vicinity of the one girl's home, and it still took until 11am for anyone to spot them? They're a group of four young girls and a grown man; surely that would have stuck in somebody's memory. "Oh yeah, there were these four young girls in here a few hours ago, officer. They were with a man; he bought them ice cream cones. I assumed he was their father."

Does that make sense to anyone else?

One girl lived nearby Goto and had met him before, police said.

Not that I want to defend the guy, but this doesn´t sound like much a kidnapping.

This news doesn't surprise me. As the locals say : "THIS IS JAPAN!"

This is right up there on the freaky creepy scale, people. In any other country this weirdo would have pumped full of lead if the cops had found him on the street with four abducted little girls. But ohhhhh nooooooo, not in Japan, where this sicko has been up to god only knows what in his sordid little house, getting his jollies from kiddie porn no doubt. And people here post support for him!!! Unbeleivable. Get him off the streets before he does some real damage. Another reason to get out of Japan.

PepinGlarga.....they are too young to "go willingly" for a 17 hour overnight visit without parental consent. Whether or not they "consented", it is kidnapping. And yeah...something is not right...something is very very wrong.

caribjustice, i'm with you...what is with all of the blaming of victims and angry sweeping generalizations about Japan. As for the rest, it's true the candy routine is the oldest in the book...because it works. These girls are not old enough to exercise good judgment...they are of the age that falls for the candy routine all over the world..maybe he even offered them to stay up all night eating whatever they wanted and playing video games...

The fault lies with the perp, not the vicitims and their families.

However, it is time to start some country wide education on child safety. I agree that Japan is no longer as safe as it used to be, but the answer is in education and awareness, not blame. If, in fact, this guy did not break any Japanese laws, then it's time for stricter laws and stricter enforcement.

Girls mnext time listen to your Mum and Dad: 'NEVER TALK TO STRANGERS!'

No job then what people will do?Government ignores for job placement to people.

Anthony39 - indeed. Whenever something like this occurs, I'll bet my last aluminum coin that there has been some pornography involved. Maybe not directly with this case, but in his past.

As much as perverted and crazy this guy might be, if the girls went willingly and did not show any resistance, unfortunately there may be little that could be done against this creep. Police should scour his home agreesively for anything fishy.

Nowadays everyone has mobile phones, didnt these girls have a phone with them? Sorry to go with a generalization, but in Japan you see kids walking the streets by themselves all the time. You would never see a kid in the US walking the street far away from his home, much less at night.

Yelnats, I'm with you. Something doesn't sound right... "The girls were not injured when they were found, police said." Weeks later (if at all) we will find out what really happened to the girls. It seems unlikely that 4 girls would just hang out with a stranger overnight and not put up a struggle, scream, or something.

Even if he wasn't ill-intended cough, these are risky times about this topic! One wrong move or word and you're landing on the pyre.

Maybe Japanese parents didn't need to teach their children the perils of taking candy from strangers 10 years ago, but now they do. There are just too many wierdo's walking around nowadays for kids not to be taught the basics to protect themselves.

This guy really appears to be up to no good and the girls exercised poor judgment and hopefully will be wiser in the future but some of the comments about this incident are unbelievable. From sweeping generalizations about Japanese parents, "Don't parents in this country..." and "Didn't Japanese mothers learn..." to "Idiot kids and stupid parents". What's with all the hatred directed to the victims (actual or near) and their families?

Anthony39 makes the best points without the sweeping generalizations.

This guy really appears to be up to no good and the girls exercised poor judgment and hopefully will be wiser in the future but some of the comments about this incident are unbelievable. From sweeping generalizations about Japanese parents, "Don't parents in this country..." and "Didn't Japanese mothers learn..." to "Idiot kids and stupid parents". What's with all the hatred directed to the victims (actual or near) and their families?

Anthony39 makes the best points without the sweeping generalizations.

Of course, the first question is, what is wrong with this guy? But, the most perplexing question is, what is wrong with these girls to go with him and stayed the night in his apartment without contacting their parents? One of the girls admitted to knowing the freak which 'probably' means the freak also knew where the girl lived and 'may' have been tuning this girl for a while. However, his failure to inform the parents of their whereabouts definitely points towards his motives being sinister. - Were the girls really so hard up for candy?

anthony39; Wow. Just Wow.

Something about this story sounds fishy to me.

What were these young girls doing in a supermarket after dark in the first place. Didn't Japanese mothers learn from previous kidnapping cases?

Those idiot kids and their stupid parents dodged some huge bullets.

Japan - a country which allows people to possess child pornography.

Maybe he just wanted to add to the sick collection of images of children been abused, that is not considered a crime in Japan.

I won't suggest why 4 pre-pubescent girls went to his apartment overnight, apparently not under duress.

It would be strange if his intentions were entirely innocent but he was still jailed, when he could have photos of the children been raped entirely legally!!

(or is it only foreign children been raped that Japanese pedophiles are allowed to look at?)

Don't parents in this country warn their children about strangers with candy? That's the oldest trick in the book!

typical wanker and theyre loads of these guys preying the streets... More than likely he has a rap sheet or should have one... In the West they brand and register you a sex offender and we all know what his real motive was...