Man arrested for attempted murder of girlfriend's father

As if there's not enough death and injury in Japan to last 100 years....

Why was Toshiyuki Kato clinging to the driver’s seat ..... The young man driving clearly seemed to have wanted to get away from him ......

I wonder if the 22 year old proposed or something.

Yep, driver is obviously at fault, but the girlfriends father really shouldn't have tried to stop him like that. Very stupid, and possibly tragic for both families.

This guy sounds like a real idiot, hopefully this girl will have more brains to choose nicer boy friends.

Not the best way to impress the girlfriend's dad, or the girlfriend. I bet he will not approve of a wedding if she stays with this guy.

Why are you guys so quick to pass judgment? It seems as though they had an altercation (probably over the girl), the guy tried to leave. The father probably still wanted to continue to fight and jumped on his car. The guy may have just freaked out. The father also seems to be at fault IMO. If the guy was leaving, why not just let him unless of course he was leaving with his underaged daughter against her will. Since the father was 45, we can probably assume the girl was at least 20 and old enough to make her own decisions. IMO, it's the father who's seems to be the idiot for jumping on a fleeting car.

How old is the girl in question? Answer that question, and I bet you'll understand why the Dad was so pissed.

So much for formal introductions.

sensei258 said: How old is the girl in question? Answer that question, and I bet you'll understand why the Dad was so pissed.

The only reason you ask the question is because of the bias created by the pedo hysteria in the west. That hysteria does not exist here, as it did not exist not so long ago in the west. And so, I can guarantee her age had nothing to do with it. Far more likely is that this young man did not meet the social standing or financial standards of the father. Another possibility is that his only children are female and this guy either could not or would not adopt his family name. Japanese don't do taboo of the week.

Ah, Mangaman:

As a father of two girls (9 and 12), if they were under 20 with a 22 year old suitor, I would meet him at the door with a baseball bat. Don't base fatherly love on strictly "bias created by the pedo hysteria in the west."

Would you want your under age daughter in a "pedo" relationship? Fathers the world over agree on this. Until you become a father (not a dad, any man can produce offspring, a father actually supports and raises them) then you really do not understand the father-child bond.

@ Mangaman

Just so you know, I am Japanese. So much for your generalisations. Like all Japanese fathers wouldn't protect their daughters from "pedos". We do, thank you very much.

LOL!

So much for your generalisations.

I said the hysteria does not exist here. Then I mentioned more likely scenarios. I stick by them. A father speaking of reacting to a three year age difference with a baseball bat is a VERY atypical response for Japanese. Anyone with experience living here would agree.

I can think of several reasons this could have happened that are likely for Japan, and a small difference in age is not one of them. In fact, if it were such a simple thing, it would no doubt be mentioned in the article. It isn't, so I find the reasoning to bring it up and the reasoning to back it up horribly off.

As a father of two girls (9 and 12), if they were under 20 with a 22 year old suitor, I would meet him at the door with a baseball bat.

So you wouldn't let a 19 year old go out with a 22-year old? What a moron.

@ mukai

Well said, thank you.

@ Mangaman

"The only reason you ask the question is because of the bias created by the pedo hysteria in the west. That hysteria does not exist here" I live in Japan. My daughters and granddaughters are Japanese. So maybe you should put down your manga and think a bit before making an irrational statement like that.

I love to live in Japan - this is the second of two crime stories here on April 12th! Only two crimes worth reporting on. What a safe country we have here! (No sarcasm meant. Truly grateful.)

@chotto

Well said, thank you.

@sensei258

I live in Japan too. My wife and son are Japanese. Does not make me Japanese, does it? Did it make you Japanese?

Or are you saying my claim that the hysteria does not exist here is irrational? Well, it may exist among individuals who "claim" to be Japanese, but it is not a society wide thing. If it were, the related manga would be gone and so would the junior idols and a whole bunch of other things. Such as it is, when enjo-kosai among teens was a big topic, the Japanese were not talking about meeting oyajis with baseball bats nor did they say they were sick or should be castrated or anything like that. They pretty much just thought it was a bad way for the girls.

So I think its pretty unlikely this was an age difference problem.

Did I pretend to be, claim to be, or hint that I may be Japanese? Your irrational statement is saying that and "the only reason you ask...". I know why I ask things. I don't think a complete stranger is qualified to tell me. Are you telling me that if you had a young daughter(her age apparently hasn't been established yet), and an older guy wanted to date (or may have already "dated") her, that you wouldn't mind?

Since the father was 45, we can probably assume the girl was at least 20 and old enough to make her own decisions

Why would we assume that? When my husband is 45 our daughter will be 13. Most of our friends our age have children roughly the same age as ours.

If this girl was 20 or even 19, fair enough, although we know nothing about the guy in question other than his age. But if she was 15 or 16 - which seems far more likely to me given that they a) haven`t actually mentioned her age and b) on average people become parents in their late twenties to early thirties it could simply be a case of a father trying to protect his daughter.

Or are you saying my claim that the hysteria does not exist here is irrational? Well, it may exist among individuals who "claim" to be Japanese, but it is not a society wide thing

Hysteria may not exist here but most well-educated, well-balanced, normal Japanese are rightly disgusted by older men chasing after teenage girls, including my husband who "claims" to be Japanese because he IS Japanese, as are all his friends who are fathers of daughters and feel the same way.

Hysteria may not exist here but most well-educated, well-balanced, normal Japanese are rightly disgusted by older men chasing after teenage girls

Disgusted? I don't think so. To be disgusted is part of the hysteria that I say does not exist here. Concerned would be a better description, and interestingly, that could apply to a 22 year old man who it would be stretching to describe as "older" in the sense you are using the word. The father's concern could have been over many things, like this guy being a chimpira punk or something. But age? Unlikely. Especially since if it were an illegal relationship that would be in the article.

I just asked my wife and mother-in-law open endedly what they figured happened. I described the article and asked what they figured the trouble was. Their guess was that the father just did not like him, quite as I expected.

No, "disgusted" is a pretty accurate phrase for the people I have spoken to about this issue. It`s a big leap from "disgusted" to "hysterical", although quite honestly I would personally like to see people in Japan get a little more "hysterical" about this issue.

It is not stretching at all to describe a 22 year old man as "older" if, as I suggested, the girl in question is around 15. I wouldnt read anything about the girls age into the fact that it hasnt been included in the article - articles here are often missing key data which often stimulates a lot of the banter.

If the girl is older, almost certainly it was a case that the father didnt like him. But we dont know all the facts do we, and meanwhile, it is perfectly reasonable to assume one reason could have been an age difference.

dad do all the best things to protect their daughter .... bf, seems not a good boy, shame on him ....