crime

Parents of five murdered girls still pushing for resolution

22 Comments

Parents of girls who were kidnapped or murdered in a series of unsolved cases have banded together and arranged a formal meeting in an attempt to make progress in the cases. The families are those of five young girls who were kidnapped and murdered between 1979 and 1996 in Tochigi and Gunma Prefectures.

The events in each case and the modus operandi of the perpetrator are thought by many to have been similar enough to suggest that the cases may be linked. The parents are hoping to appeal to the authorities to help them solve the last remaining open case, that of Yukari Yokoyama, 4, who was abducted from a pachinko parlor in 1996. If the case can be solved before it expires, the parents are hoping to discover information that might lead to some closure in regard to the other expired cases.

Yukari's father Yasuo said, "I called this meeting because I thought that alone, we cannot achieve much, but it is my hope that working together, we are not helpless."

© Compiled from news reports

©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.

22 Comments
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Blaming the parents for a psychopath murdering their child! That is low! Noone is responsible apart from the person who did this. NO parent is infallible, and whilst I am the first one to admit I am protective and vigilant, all it takes is a moments distraction for a kid to run off. What are you going to do? Leash them? Forbid them to run around unless you are in control 24/7? I expect the parent who took their daughter to pachinko with them regrets that decision every day of their lives, judging them is very cruel.

I really hope that this case is reopened, and these parents can find some peace.

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I would like the parents to know that they have many supporters out there (including me) and they are not alone.

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@papi: Easily could read that way with your 'caring' comment.

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Odd, since the parents are banking on the impetus the statue of limitations has provided for closure.

If not for the statute, we would not be talking about these cases right now. And they would remain just as unsolved but more obscure.

Remember the statute does not prevent investigations. The parents can still hire a P.I. even. But if the police have not solved a case in 20 years, they pretty much are not going to without a push. The statute provides the only push the case will get this late in the game. I hate to see perps get off, but hey, if it was my only kid, it would be the perp hating the statute and wishing he had been jailed.

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Poor parents. What I think they need to push for before anything else is to get rid of the current (ridiculous) statute of limitations regarding murder. Beyond that, hopefully they can at least support each other in grief if no progress is made.

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Defiantly safer than Disneyland, that place loses more kids than any other place, but shhhhh

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How many kids are snatched from pachinko parlors? Even on a per captia basis? I don't think the pachinko parlors were the problem. They are probably safer from murderous kidnappers than public parks!

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There is something seriously disturbing about the fascination with young girls in Japanese society.

Fascination does not lead to murder and kidnapping quite often enough to worry about it. And if you think Japan is the only place with that fascination, I suggest a little net surfing.

It is just as likely, maybe even moreso, that the killer just likes to see people die and age is no issue. Take the serial killer known as BTK for example. He was not necessarily targeting kids. Seems they were just also on his list. And notice all hoards of AKB fans. You don't actually think they are dangerous people do you? It was you who pointed out the fascination, yet you don't have the body count to match it. Its a massive inconsistency.

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Pachinko parlours should be banning children entering.

Aside from that, I wish them all justice.

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Parents of five murdered girls still pushing for resolution

The headline had me thinking, "Those poor parents, how did all five of their children get murdered??"

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Papi, that's exactly what I was thinking... It's bad enough panchinko parlors even exist to begin with, but bringing a kid of any age to a pachinko parlor is asinine. SENSORY BOMBARDMENT

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Fault the parents or not or whatever reason the child was at a pachinko parlor, that isn't the point. People have a reasonable expectation that if they go out, they aren't going to have their kids kidnapped and murdered. It might be the pachinko parlor, the supermarket, the department store whatever.

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Smartacus youre right, that was one of the cases. Whilst I agree with some commenters that the little girl should never have been in a pachinko parlour in the first place, its not as if this couldnt happen, and has indeed happened, in supermarkets, parks, you name it. My heart goes out to these parents. I dont think I could rest knowing whoever took my child is still out there.

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I think one of the Tochigi murders was the Ashikaga case in 1991 where the wrong guy was forced to confess and spent 17 years in prison before having his conviction overturned last year. That must have been like a knife in the heart of the parents, thinking their daughter's killer had been caught and imprisoned and despising him all that time, only to realize that the real killer is still at large.

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Hmmm a Tokyo version of the "Wineville Chicken Coop" murders perhaps?

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OMG, when I read the title I thought it was "the parents of five murdered girls", or one family's girls all murdered! This is just as terrible, but thank god it wasn't what I surmised.

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yongyang, didnt say it was the childs fault. :)

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The Kanto ripper! I can only feel sorry for these parents and hope they get some resolution to their regrets of bad decisions. There is some truth in YongYang's post. I will never let my kids out of eyesight in public. There are too many nutters running around. I have even stopped jijis taking photos of my young and pretty daughter. There is something seriously disturbing about the fascination with young girls in Japanese society.

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It wasn't the child's fault Papi, and it is the child who was the victim. Don't dismiss the crime, or the child's memory for the appalling decisions those 'parents' made for a four year ofd child, if anything I do NOT support those parents of that child, they should be charged with criminal negletct, even manslaughter, as it was their approach to 'parenting' that exposed that little girl to the murderer.

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I do agree, but resulting in death is too harsh. Obviously some age restriction would be in order, the noise level alone must be a hearing risk. Was not that long ago someone else tried to take child (as a joke) these place seem to attract weirdos. Over 20 only would be OK.

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No offense I wholeheartedly support the parents, but bringing a kid (4) to a pachinko? pffff

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This is a terrible story, perhaps (without investigation) a serial killer is at work. This statute of limitations really should be dropped. And a detective school established for J-cops. To have a child disappear and them find it has happened before! Heartbreaking.

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