crime

Man arrested over murder of 9-year-old Vietnamese girl in Chiba

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Good news if he is guilty. And if he is, NEVER let him out of prison. EVER.

8 ( +8 / -0 )

I hope this leads to further evidence like matching him to CCTV footage.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Good news!

2 ( +2 / -0 )

As much as I'd like to see whoever did it hang.... there was a lot of pressure for the cops catch the culprit, so yes, hopefully some CCTV will be found linking him to the crime too.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Arrested was a 46 year old man who is(was) the Chairperson head of the PTA of the school. He also has a son and a daughter. (Source: Japanese TV News) This is one sick guy and if convicted, I hope those inside will take proper care of him.

3 ( +5 / -2 )

Finally! You may get life sentence..

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Innocent until proven guilty everyone.

Let's put our pitchforks away for the time being.

12 ( +13 / -1 )

Does "DNA evidence" mean that she was raped? Hang the guy. Don't use my tax money to provide food and shelter for this guy for life.

1 ( +5 / -4 )

I feel bad for his wife/kids but If guilty, he deserves a short drop with a sudden stop, after a lengthy/abusive jail term.

0 ( +4 / -4 )

Let's hope it's the right man they have arrested and not just someone they can fit up to close the case. I don't have much trust or confidence in the Japanese police or justice system.

6 ( +9 / -3 )

If convicted, keep him behind the bar for the rest of his life without parole. Killing 9-year-old child is absolutely unforgivable.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

The J news has reported the guy who has been arrested was head of the PTA and one of his jobs was to walk on the street to protect the kids!

3 ( +4 / -1 )

Hopefully, it is the right person. If so, it is as I predicted that someone familiar with the child would be involved.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Apparently, police were able to use "drive recorder" information in order to pinpoint the perpetrator's movements.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

There needs to be a very strict and fitting punishment for anyone who is convicted of murdering children.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Innocent until proven guilty everyone.

no, that is an american concept. in most countries, you're guilty until you can prove you're innocent. i honestly don't know which i prefer.

-4 ( +0 / -4 )

Some people here are celebrating prematurely.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

no, that is an american concept.

Japanese too.

-1 ( +3 / -4 )

The murder of an innocent child is a very emotive subject, most people would like a public lynching or some sort of cruel punishment, going down this route arnt we just as bad for taking someones life? can it be justified? I am sure some will say "how would you feel if some one murdered your child"? I just hope to god that it never happens, because I can't answer that to be honest. IF this guy is guilty I hope that he rots in prison, and I hope the the girls family have now a sense of closure.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

@Strangerland

Japanese too.

No they don't. This is one reason why Japan has such a high conviction rate. People who are sometimes innocent are being forced to admit guilt! That doesn't sound like innocent until proven guilty.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

@Strangerland

Japanese too.

No they don't. This is one reason why Japan has such a high conviction rate. People who are sometimes innocent are being forced to admit guilt! That doesn't sound like innocent until proven guilty.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Back on topic please.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

No they don't. This is one reason why Japan has such a high conviction rate. People who are sometimes innocent are being forced to admit guilt!

By that logic, nakanoguy's logic that innocent until proven guilty is an American concept is also wrong then, as innocent people often plead guilty to avoid trial in the US.

Moderator: Sorry, we asked all readers to get back on topic.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

She told a friend in school back in January that there was a scary person on the way to school. She said to her friend that she had begun to either run past that part, or to take another path to school. Now this story begins to make sense.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Well, they have published his name now, so they must have enough evidence to convict him of abandoning the body (a crazy Japanese thing). However, unless he confesses there is little chance they can charge him with the murder (another crazy Japanese thing). Let's hope he is man enough to confess and face his judgement for such a horrible crime.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

His inmates will definitely take good care of him.

I wonder if child predation/abuse in Japan is looked down upon as much as it is in the States by other inmates. Typically, American child sex abusers need to placed in isolation away from other inmates because of the threat of violence.

Could someone in the know answer that question?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

If he actually is innocent I very much doubt he would be remaining silent in police custody.....

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Let's say they have the right person which I strongly suspect that they do. I wonder if the child's particular nationality or just not being Japanese was a reason for the man's infatuation with her. Being the head of the PTA and living so close to them, he would have definitely known about the child's background.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

You have to consider that he might be covering up for someone else, but unwilling to speak about it. I floated this idea to my J wife but she laughed. "No way!" she said. "Look, they have his car and everything." Remaining silent sounds like a bad idea though.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

They have DNA evidence. What I'm afraid of is that they'll only be able to nail the scumbag on improper disposal of a body. I hope at the very least the family and community have already distanced themselves from the guy and are starting too look into the people they start putting into such positions (and buddy up).

1 ( +2 / -1 )

@nandakandamanda - Remaining silent sounds like a bad idea though.

Unfortunately, the way Japanese law works, remaining silent is his best defence. They cannot convict him of murder unless he confesses.

0 ( +3 / -3 )

What I'm afraid of is that they'll only be able to nail the scumbag on improper disposal of a body.

I hope they get him to confess.

I hope at the very least the family and community have already distanced themselves from the guy

Unfortunately, for the family, there will definitely be blowback on them. It doesn't matter if they disown him or not. In Japan, the whole immediate family will feel the weight of this horrific situation in the community. Most likely, they will be forced to move. Hopefully, they won't feel pressured into taking their own lives. This is a time when counseling for the school and all the families directly connected is needed.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Let's put our pitchforks away for the time being. they've found his DNA on the girl, and he's refusing to answer questioning. so unless the police planted this evidence Id say the guy is guilty.

-3 ( +2 / -5 )

In Japan, the whole immediate family will feel the weight of this horrific situation in the community.

Not just Japan.

3 ( +6 / -3 )

Some people are saying "if he is silent he is guilty" perhaps you should read up on Japanese police tactics. Even saying "I didn't do it" is acceptable as a confession in Japan. Police here force people to sign false confessions with the chance of suspended sentences. Once you are caught in Japan, even if innocent....you have like a 1% chance of being found innocent.

As for the girl, it doesn't take much of a brain to know what happened to her. This is Japan after all, a small 9 year old girl found near a river? She was obviously raped and dumped. This country is crawling with pedophiles.

-1 ( +5 / -6 )

"investigative sources said his DNA matched a sample collected by police in the grass field "

Was his DNA (of what sort? Hair, Blood, semen?) on the girl or just in the nearby general area? I mean that's gotta suck if you were just passing by the area unaware and somehow something happened and you left your DNA mark behind such as a strand of hair. Talk about bad luck.

But if his DNA was ON her then there should be plenty enough evidence to convict.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

I hope they have the right guy but DNA in grass near the body isn't exactly concrete proof

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Some people are saying "if he is silent he is guilty" perhaps you should read up on Japanese police tactics. Even saying "I didn't do it" is acceptable as a confession in Japan. Police here force people to sign false confessions with the chance of suspended sentences. Once you are caught in Japan, even if innocent....you have like a 1% chance of being found innocent.

As for the girl, it doesn't take much of a brain to know what happened to her. This is Japan after all, a small 9 year old girl found near a river? She was obviously raped and dumped. This country is crawling with pedophiles

Shove that up your right wing ass Japan Today. It is crawling with pedophiles and you can't hide that by removing my comments. Almost daily I see news articles of pedophilia rapists touching children.

WHO ARE YOU PROTECTING? Maybe you're paid off by the J-Gov to keep Japan in the nice light?

I'll just keep posting this comment every time you remove it. THERE IS NOTHING VULGAR ABOUT IT.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

PTA used to be about all were mothers. When a father comes, we used to joke he is looking for a new girl friend. It is different now. Children have to worry murderers.

-2 ( +2 / -4 )

@toshiko This is disgusting. Are men hated in this way or thought incapable of engaging in the lives of children in a healthy way? Perhaps it is a particular prejudice that men are beasts? This makes everything worse. Here is not a typical person but a disgusting criminal - hopefully one in millions. Let's not disparage men with such hateful sexist prejudice. Please.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

What if, as PTA head, this went to field for some reason AFTER the murder? He would not be the first person wrongly accused and crucified by the media in Japan.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

It's time to create a confidential database for all adults working/dealing with children. These adults need to submit fingerprints and DNA samples. Yes it could be considered "profiling" but could be a huge deterrent for any crime dealing with children. It's so necessary in Japan where regulations on child exploitation in any way, shape or form is so lax.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Now please allow us send and get our children by our own car.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

toshiko: "PTA used to be about all were mothers. When a father comes, we used to joke he is looking for a new girl friend. It is different now. Children have to worry murderers."

Sorry, toshiko, but if you looked at the majority of children, especially infants, murdered by a parent in Japan these days it's the mother who does it. Sure, a lot of people blame it on a nine-year-delay of PPD or immediately defend the woman, but just to show how wrong you are... and also that you'd have us all go back to the stone ages in terms of gender equality. I suppose these PTA moms you think should bar the men from entering and helping out ought to not have jobs aside from being barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen?

2 ( +2 / -0 )

@disillusioned

However, unless he confesses there is little chance they can charge him with the murder (another crazy Japanese thing).

They cannot convict him of murder unless he confesses.

What do you mean?

2 ( +2 / -0 )

@yumster100 - It's the way Japanese laws works. Without a confession or witnesses he cannot be charged with killing her. He can only be charged with abandoning her body because that is the only evidence they have to connect him with her. He is looking at 3-5 years for abandoning the body, but life for her murder. That is why he is remaining silent and, there are no witnesses.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

Mike L, you are right, Innocent until the evidence suggests otherwise, but the border is getting thinner. Someone out there did it, and is still not caught. Through what was presented in the article, aside the disgust, I believe the fact that he was absent during his regular supervising will be as crucial as the DNA test. If he is trying to get away with it, he must be coming up with an alibi currently. When questioned properly, if responsible people find rends in his presumable alibi, he will be step closer to conviction. And then to imagine the family, the children, after they get to hear what a blighted scum their father is. It must never happened, it must have never happened. Alas, it seems rather elaborate and ..."sophisticated" at this point.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

@disillusioned

can you provide sources for that? now I'm curious. also, I'm aware of corpus delecti which in this case you are not referring to.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Can you confirm, that even if video footage of murder exists, the case is not considered a murder one unless the "presumable" culprit confesses he did it? In no way a murder unless confessed?

0 ( +1 / -1 )

This is disgusting. Are men hated in this way or thought incapable of engaging in the lives of children in a healthy way? Let's not disparage men with such hateful sexist prejudice. Please.

She said "used to be all about mothers". You should know by now that the previous generation of Japanese fathers of young children were mostly known for not helping in child rearing. Yes, today's generation of fathers have improved and put family first including attending all school events. Unfortunately this type of guy kind of puts a strike against fathers even the good ones just like when people judges a whole ethnicity by the acts of a few.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

@yumster100 - It's the way Japanese laws works. Without a confession or witnesses he cannot be charged with killing her.

No, that's not how it works. A confession is not required, though they do heavily rely on them here.

He can only be charged with abandoning her body because that is the only evidence they have to connect him with her.

We don't know what evidence they have right now, other than some allusion to DNA.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

Silvafan

This is one reason why Japan has such a high conviction rate.

Japan has a high conviction rate because Japan has low prosecution rate among the arrested. The prosecutors indict only when they are confident to win.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

The "why" is very important. Finding this might help prevent the same thing happening again ... and again ... and again.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

There is a high probability the crime was committed inside the "camping car" owned by the suspect, Shibuya. If Police find DNA belonging to the victim inside this vehicle, then that will be damning evidence indeed.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

@TinaWatanabe

Japan has a high conviction rate because Japan has low prosecution rate among the arrested. The prosecutors indict only when they are confident to win.

Really??? because the following reports prove otherwise:

1) The Whole Story on Japan’s 99% Conviction Rate, and the Corruption that Follows http://skeptikai.com/2013/09/28/the-whole-story-on-japans-99-conviction-rate-and-the-corruption-that-follows/

2) Coerced confessions: Justice derailed in Japan - The New York Times http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/07/world/asia/07iht-japan.1.5596308.html

3) Japan crime: Why do innocent people confess? http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-20810572

Despite these damaging reports about Japanese police force including the confession of a Japanese prosecutor that supports my claim, let's all hope they actually caught the true culprit, and he spends a longtime in prison because if he is actually innocent, the police my force him to make a false confession like reported in these articles.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

@Diss,

Well, they have published his name now, so they must have enough evidence to convict him of abandoning the body (a crazy Japanese thing). However, unless he confesses there is little chance they can charge him with the murder (another crazy Japanese thing). Let's hope he is man enough to confess and face his judgement for such a horrible crime.

"School PTA head arrested over murder of 9-year-old Vietnamese girl in Chiba"

Some these phyletic contiguous disposed falter appear to allegedly, perhaps, maybe, possibly, suffer from occupational temptation hazards.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

It is true that Japan's prosecution rate is very low. It is very common in Japan that you wouldn't be indicted even if arrested. It is better not going trial at all than Not Guilty after long trials.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Japan has a high conviction rate because Japan has low prosecution rate among the arrested. The prosecutors indict only when they are confident to win.

Really??? because the following reports prove otherwise:

The reports don't prove that prosecutors here don't only indict when they are confident of a conviction. You would need to show that a high number of those arrested are also prosecuted to disprove Tina's comment.

This time she is actually half right. One of the reasons for the high conviction rate here is that they don't prosecute if they don't think they can convict. There are other reasons as well however, one being that the police have been known to force confessions here, and the fact that they can hold you for three weeks without charges makes people more likely to confess just to get out of jail.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

The news reports that the suspect has a child in the same year as the murdered girl. What will growing up be like for that child.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

This is a horific act, and were I the Parent involved, I would be wishing to slowly castrate the accussed before dealing the final due justice personally. However, before doing so, I would like to be 200% sure that this was indeed the right person. We all know, from Stories here, that the Japanese Judicial system, starting with the Police, can be manipulative. Whats important is to get the facts laid out on the table, without any ambiguity, and to put it to all involved, the consequences of an incorrect judgement.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

If the DNA matches, there is no question of guilt.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

It is a huge relief to have found the obviously mentally ill man who committed this heinous crime (if he really is the correct person).

REGARDLESS of race (it could just as well have been someone other than Japanese), sadly this kind of crime occurs all too frequently in EVERY country in the world, especially young children being sexually assaulted (which may have possibly happened but not disclosed) and sadly in some cases killed after the perpetrator sexually assaulted their victim.

As unpleasant as this topic is, the public should be informed about the details (such as where the DNA sample was taken) of what the authorities uncovered.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

I am Vietnamese and the mother of victim said differently in the video I watched. She said " It is unbelievable that the culprit looks very kind and do volunteer work but the way of killing is so brutal. Now i do not know to believe in whom"

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Support the death sentence 100% and I hope if this guy is guilty, they hand him this, as a father I cannot believe this guy did this to a 9 year old when he has kids of his own going to the same school.

After the murder, Shibuya, as head of the parents group, had been collecting donations to help Linh’s family return to Vietnam for the funeral of their daughter, according to school sources.

My view on this is it was a racist attack.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

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