A man recently released from prison is under arrest again for allegedly holding two women in captivity in his apartment, Tokyo police said Thursday. The man was identified as 45-year old Yoshisato Oku.
According to TBS, the two women were apparently victims of a crime that lead to Oku's original stint in prison a few years ago. After his release, Oku allegedly lured the women -- a woman in her 20s and her mother -- to his apartment, then threatened them with a knife and confined them in a room from Sunday through Tuesday.
Police said Oku knew the phone number of one of the women, but they are still investigating why that is and how he managed to lure them in. After he got them into the apartment, he threatened them with a knife, and then apparently confined them within the room by securing the doorknob with a rope.
During the ordeal, Oku reportedly verbally blamed the women for his imprisonment and also threatened to kill them, police said.
The women apparently managed to send an e-mail to family members pleading for help, and police found the three of them at a nearby restaurant. The man told police at the time that they were all just having a chat.
© Japan Today
28 Comments
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caribjustice
That's an understatement! More like "strange tales from the beyond"!
gaijinfo
This is quite strange.
Maitake
After they had been locked in the room, they then went to a nearby restaurant? "All this ranting and holding you hostage has made me hungry! Let's let bygones be bygones. Why don't we all go out for some ramen and have a chat?"
ExportExpert
Not the full story here, and this guy was not playing with a full deck.
How come he held them captive in the room by tying the door knob then they in a restaurant, something not right with this story. or the guy who did this crime.
smithinjapan
Now he's REALLY going to blame them for going to jail... of course it won't change the fact that he only has himself to blame.
steve: No, he deserves prison, but maybe a prison for the insane?
yasukuni
@Maitake. Very funny!
taj
Nice to see the use of "reportedly" and "apparently". Innocent until proven guilty, right?
It does seem like there's at least a small possiblity that the mother/daughter combo are trying to set him up and send him back to prison.
nath
I like the Ramen and chat idea.
Serrano
You can't make this stuff up.
TokyoTanuki
Sounds like these women decided to lay low three days then meet this guy so he could get blamed for kidnapping him. I would be interested to see what is concluded here.
GW
Theatre of the bizarre!
smithinjapan
taj: "Nice to see the use of "reportedly" and "apparently". Innocent until proven guilty, right?"
It's a well-known fact (or should be) that the media needs to be careful with how it uses wording in such cases to avoid libel. Say, for example, the media were to cut 'reportedly' and 'apparently' out completely and it later comes to light he didn't do such things... the paper or what have you could easily be sued for defamation/libel because it technically accused him of doing something before he was convicted for it.
Jannetto
She managed to send an email?? Good thing the relatives were checking their mail... all very odd...
Pixilated
This is a strange story. If he had been holding them captive, did he not think to take their cell phones away or other such devices? Or did he lock them in a room that had a computer or some other device with internet access? Either way, if they were in there from Sunday to Tuesday, why did it take so long for them to e-mail someone? And why would someone lock two women up in a room for two days, but then decide to go out to a restaurant together for coffee like nothing happened? Though it's all speculation, it could well be that this guy being an ex-con was set up as an easy patsy to take a fall.
WilliB
I don´t get this at all. If they were "captive", how come all 3 of them were found at a restaurant? Weird capitivity...
nath
The dateline says Tokyo. Are they sure it wasn't Saitama?
Alexis L Walls
HAHA this whole story makes me laugh because its so ridiculous! These sequence of events just have to be planned! xD
Badge213
What? Things don't add up here. They were confined to his apartment, then they all got caught up at a local restaurant? huh?
Juan Rodriguez
Their word against his, I hope that restaurant had cameras; so bizarre.
oberst
more like he invited them to a sleepover.............access to internet and chitchat in a resturant ? What kind of hostage situation is that ?
NothingTokubetsu
And this ladies and gentlemen, is why prostitution should be legalized.
Jbeezy
he was instutionalized. just like Brooks was.
Disillusioned
That doesn't make sense! He was arrested for imprisoning the women, but was arrested at a restaurant with them? Something is very wrong here.
valley-of-the-shadows
Straight jacket for this fella ASAP...
steve@CPFC
From the information provided it seems like a psychiatric hospital may be a better solution than prison for the gentleman.
Elbuda Mexicano
This freak is no gentleman, he needs to be given the DEATH PENALTY asap! Poor women, they are lucky to be alive!
some14some
It takes THREE to tango... !
UruhaxAoi1
omg! Are you serious? What is up with japan? If it was america some crazy white person would have knocked Yoshisato Oku out! Men sicken me some time....>.<