Prosecutors appeal ruling on man who kept teenage girl captive for 2 years

 the prison term sought by the prosecutors was "too severe."

I think the 15 years sought is still too light.

acknowledged the confinement involved "no physical violence or verbal abuse."

Oh, so that makes it ok to kidnap and confine a young teenage girl for two years? This joker planned the kidnapping long before he took her. He had done modifications to his house, including soundproofing a room in preparation to confine a young girl. This demented pervert should never be let out of jail!

9 years is too short. He should get at least 10 times the length of time he kept her confined, so a 20-year sentence would be more fitting.

Nothing like prosecutors being able to take a second bite at the apple.

Seriously, it is absolutely clear that the individuals that are 'judges' in Japanese courts have no business being judges.... one wonders if they might actually fantasize about doing the very crime that Terauchi committed.

I think 10 years is fine after chopping off his goolies

In no way does this exonerate this awful crime, but the court needs to recognise that he was a wacko and not a sexual predator.

If you get your kicks from kidnapping teenage girls, you are almost certainly sexually motivated.

Straight question that hopefully was answered in court - did he have sexual relations with her. I dont think he did otherwise we would have read about a rape charge as well. In no way does this exonerate this awful crime, but the court needs to recognise that he was a wacko and not a sexual predator. 15 years is too severe and the 9 years handed seems strict enough. 9 years in a Japanese jail for a university student my friends - it doesnt help the poor girl to recover, but its not going to be a nice experience for 9 years for him.

"The court pointed out "the physical confinement was moderate" as Terauchi left a window unlocked and often went on a trip, leaving the girl at home. It also acknowledged the confinement involved "no physical violence or verbal abuse."

So did he just want the company?  Weird.

That said, sentencing guidelines here often seem almost arbitrary. I've seen people get less time for murder with mitigating circumstances than was finally handed down in this case, and sentences for rape are notoriously light.

They are pretty consistent in that they give a lighter sentence if it's a mom killing her own kid. Ridiculous, but consistent.

If I recall correctly the girl in this case felt her parents were too controlling and this might be the reason why she didn't try to escape earlier, despite being given every chance to do so.

Nothing like prosecutors being able to take a second bite at the apple.

Hey, both sides have the same chance here. THe prosecutors made their recommendation, the court rejected it and came up with their own. It's not a "second bite" at anything HERE, the first one is not completed yet!

If they were going for a retrial, which they aren't, that would be a different story.

He ruined the most formative years of her life and she has PTSD scars from this. The judges are being too lenient here. The damage done to the girl's psyche is probably permanent. I guess that wasn't taken into consideration when dishing out the sentence? "the physical confinement was moderate" - what is moderate? Was she drugged? Chained? Gagged? That's still physical abuse, folks! And if she was raped then that certainly is abuse. 9 years or even 15 isn't enough time for this sicko pervert.

DisillusionedMar. 26 09:41 am JST the prison term sought by the prosecutors was "too severe."

I think the 15 years sought is still too light.

acknowledged the confinement involved "no physical violence or verbal abuse."

Oh, so that makes it ok to kidnap and confine a young teenage girl for two years? This joker planned the kidnapping long before he took her. He had done modifications to his house, including soundproofing a room in preparation to confine a young girl. This demented pervert should never be let out of jail!

There's a similar case in the USA. Ever hear of Kimberly Smart?