Kanagawa Prefectural Police have arrested a 34-year-old man on suspicion of violating the prefecture’s Ordinance on Juvenile Protection.
Daisuke Komatsubara, 34, a Saitama Prefecture resident employed at Tokyo's Adachi Ward office, is accused of committing lewd acts with a 17-year-old high school girl in September last year, Sankei Shimbun reported. Police said Komatsubara engaged in sexual acts with the girl, who is from Fujisawa City, Kanagawa Prefecture, for about two hours from 3 p.m. on Sept 16 at a hotel room in Kawasaki City.
Police said that on Sept 23, Komatsubara allegedly pressured the girl to take nude photos of herself on a smartphone and then send them to his smartphone.
According to police, the girl made a post on a social networking site alluding to what happened. When a police cyber patrol discovered the post, they questioned her and learned of Komatsubara’s involvement.
Police said Komatsubara has admitted to the charge.
© Japan Today
22 Comments
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Pacific Saury
I'm curious what the actual laws are. For example, soap lands are legal, but paid intercourse is not. But everything else is. So what constitutes "indecent behavior" or "sexual acts"? Some people would consider grinding or twerking to be a sexual act, or at least indecent. Where do you draw the line?
Alongfortheride
The national age of consent in Japan is 13 but prefectural law over rides it and range from 16-18.
RareReason
Either way. 17 is more than old enough to know what you are doing, why you are doing it, and which handbag you're going to spend it on
divinda
Technically, you are correct (so I upvoted you). The Meiji Era Penal Code laws on consent (which are still active and have not been abolished or altered) sets the consent age at 13.
However, there are several other more modern laws, both national laws and prefectural laws, which put the age mainly at 18 (but depending on the act and law and prefecture, it may be 16 or 17).
Notice that the law broken here is Tokyo's Ordinance on Juvenile Protection (not simply the formal Penal Code). In this, the consent age is 18.
MiuraAnjin
"The man's a pedophile."
Is he?
Paedophile: an adult who experiences sexual attraction to pre-pubescent children.
Hebephile: an adult who is sexually attracted to pubescent children.
Ephebophile: an adult who is sexually attracted to mid to late adolescents.
Pedant: an adult who feels the need to explain the above (possibly).
Mark
""police cyber patrol ""
Good Job, glad you guys are out there.
starpunk
No they do not. It's very common, more common than 'polite society' wants to or dares to admit. And recall the ill-mannered blubberings of our recent excuse of a President. Need I say more?
TakaIka
Can't confirm or deny the age of consent thing, but even if we assume it's 16 (like a lot of other countries) I'm pretty sure the prosecution could frame this as solicitation of illicit material (i.e. pornography), which is not able to legally feature anyone below the age of majority (which I'm assuming is 20 in Japan, or at least 18?).
AFAIK, it is possible to commit a crime by receiving nude photos of someone you are legally able to have sex with, because of that age discrepancy (or even if it's two people below the age of majority).
kaimycahl
@Pacific Saury
I'm curious what the actual laws are. For example, soap lands are legal, but paid intercourse is not. But everything else is. So what constitutes "indecent behavior" or "sexual acts"? Some people would consider grinding or twerking to be a sexual act, or at least indecent. Where do you draw the line? Most men would draw the line in the middle!! Jokingly!!!
ulysses
I am impressed, the police were able to locate the post, interview the girl and catch this pervert.
He deserves a decent time in prison.
SteveinJapan
Your moral judgments are irrevelant. It's perfectly normal and natural for a man to seek a young fertile woman for "sick pleasures". The dude just needed to wait an extra year in this case.
shogun36
Wow, that's a pretty specific time frame. I wonder how they came up with that?
StevieJ
Regardless, it's on the adult, not the juvenile, to know what is legal and what isn't.
starpunk
However the definition is classified or categorized in a scientific subdivision, a pervert is a pervert. And there are other terms, synonyms and abbreviations for such people that I won't list here.
Skipp
I find the victim-blaming in the comments to be equally creepy.
This post especially:
Either way. 17 is more than old enough to know what you are doing, why you are doing it, and which handbag you're going to spend it on
The man's a pedophile. That's all that matters. Now punish him appropriately so that it stops happening with such frequency here, because it's exhausting and depressing. We read new cases of pedophile behavior every single day here. The offenders admit to it because they know they're only getting a slap on the wrist in punishment. There's a real problem that needs to be addressed here.
And a sexual offenders list needs to be created in Japan, as well.
Speed
JT should stop reporting this kind of news. A 17 y/o with an adult. This isn't even newsworthy.
starpunk
This guy is twice her age, he should know better than to chase a teenager. I don't care what the age of consent is in this case, he is using her for his sick pleasures (not love) and this is plain wrong.
He's a pervert. Put him in the slammer.
ShinkansenCaboose
Age 34 and two hours.
What a wimp. He should not be allowed online ever again.
Gaijinjland
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure the legal age of consent for girls in Japan is 13, which is why Japan has so many pedophiles. Not defending this guy but the police can't charge him with anything.
purple_depressed_bacon
If the consequences to such heinous crimes were physical and chemical castration, I'm pretty sure it would make these "men" think twice. How utterly disgusting. I hope they punish him severely.