crime

Two riot police officers arrested for molesting izakaya worker

101 Comments

Two 21-year-old Kagoshima Prefecture riot police have been arrested for allegedly sexually molesting a 16-year-old employee at an izakaya (Japanese pub) last Friday night, Fukuoka police officials said Monday.

According to NTV, the two men pushed the employee back into the women's restroom as she was coming out at about 7 p.m. They then allegedly groped her breasts. The two men were in the Fukuoka area for training, NTV reported.

Police were quoted as saying that the victim worked part time at the pub in the city's Hakata Ward, while attending a technical college in the area.

The pub where the incident occurred had two single-occupant restrooms. The employee was able to escape from the men about five minutes into the attack and alerted her boss, NTV reported.

The men have reportedly confessed to the allegations. They were quoted as saying they had been drinking heavily with five colleagues and that their assault on the woman was done on the spur of the moment.

© Japan Today

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101 Comments
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"I don't remember. I was too drunk at the time."

Same ol' answer.

5 ( +8 / -3 )

And this is the kind of police that there is here in Japan! That is probably why Japan has been slowly falling apart throughout the years. Too many perverted people in Japan!! These cops should be thrown into jail for at least and not lest than 10 years for their actions!!

2 ( +8 / -6 )

Job of riot police is to....(contain or incite riots?)

5 ( +6 / -1 )

a different meaning to riot. what a couple of dirtbags

3 ( +3 / -0 )

A lot of people just shouldnt drink. She is a minor. I hope her family sue these two child molestors.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

Poor girl - glad she was smart and strong enough to report the attack immediately. Nobody deserves that.

6 ( +6 / -0 )

Japanese person in position of responsibility sexual molestation/assault shocker. But it's ok - they were drunk and didn't plan it so let's just forget about it after a week's vacation. I mean suspension.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

She needs to know how to use her knees properly.

1 ( +6 / -5 )

The article said the police were arrested for molestation — but shouldn't this be classified instead as attempted rape?

I remember many years ago groping on trains, and even rape, was referred to as itazura (prank). Then, more likely than not I would see people laugh whenever a woman complained of being groped. It was a fairly common occurrence.

Fast forward to today, and I haven't heard of groping referred to as itazura in many years, but rather now the same behavior is deemed seiteki gyakutai (sexual abuse) or sekuhara (sexual harassment). Also, sexually criminal behavior is now taken much more seriously by the authorities, and does not elicit the laughter it once did. A great deal of progress has been made in Japan over the last 20 or so years in terms of attitudes of the Japanese population.

5 ( +6 / -1 )

16 year old girl working bar / restaurant? Who got arrested? Okay the riot cops should be locked up. They know better.

What about the izakaya's owner? That girl is under 18. She shouldn't have been there in the first place. She's underage and cannot spot the danger. An adult Japanese woman can recognize punks. She was only 16. Something sick about that too.

-3 ( +6 / -8 )

NetNinja, Id hold off blaming her or the bar owner. Its a part time job at it was 7pm!! She could have been a lunchtime server almost done with her shift.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Unfit for their positions to uphold the law, instant dismissal

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Riot police out drinking, molesting bar staf, I bet they think the whole night was a "Riot".

1 ( +1 / -0 )

What is a 16 year old doing in a pub serving alcohol??

7 ( +9 / -2 )

Someone needs to right a story about a bright 16 year old working in a pub while working her way through a technical college (not something many 16 year olds do).

4 ( +4 / -0 )

At sixteen the employee is a 'child' under Japanese law.

Shouldn't the article talk about assault on a minor???????

3 ( +4 / -1 )

Are Japanese people taught morals? Police molesting a teenager in a pub toilet. People (parents/boss) letting a teenager work in pub. Up-skirts, gropings, rapes, molestations, etc... this isn't the first time we have read about a policeman or someone of high (social) status do such a thing. Unfortunately it wont be the last too.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

lame excuse: "it wasn't me, it was the alcohol"

maybe a change in law is needed: any crime committed while drunk gets double punishment.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Aren't there laws here against minors serving alcohol? Not that I'm blaming either the pub or the young lady in this incident, but really!

As for these two J-cops, I see they've brought in the weekly J-cop-as-criminal story, and this time more serious than just stealing panties. They won't do time, and they'll probably not get much more than a reprimand. What I predict is that they'll pay 'compensation money' to the young woman's family in exchange for avoiding a trial, and the police will most certainly push the young woman into this. That'll be the end of it... save that this poor girl will continue to suffer.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

It is perfectly legal for her to work at an Izakaya and serve alcohol. That is one of the nice things about Japan. You do not even need a liquor license to sell alcohol.

Legal age to drink and smoke is 20, not 18 like someone posted.

1 ( +5 / -4 )

Ah, Japan´s finest again. What would be a morning without another pervert police story.

3 ( +5 / -2 )

I really have issues with allowing children to work in drinking establishments here. It is quite commonplace. They need to tighten this up - it is a recipe for disaster as we have seen here. Hope the girl is OK. Let's also hope the 2 perverts are fired and put on a pedophiles register (if one exists in Japan).

0 ( +2 / -2 )

Not to discount these two thugs' actions (they are reprehensibly wrong), but what's a 16-year-old girl doing working at an Izakaya in the first place?

0 ( +1 / -1 )

They not only can serve them legally, but they can also mix them, and also pour beers.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

16-year olds can serve beer and mix drinks? That's a first on me. When I lived in Japan up until two years ago, anyone under the age of 20 could not be employed by izakaya....

-3 ( +0 / -3 )

Yes they can Jason.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

JapanGal: "That is one of the nice things about Japan. You do not even need a liquor license to sell alcohol."

Why on earth is that a nice thing? You're basically condoning some guy on the street corner selling hooch via his 14 year old daughter. While I don't agree with the degree of severity in some nations concerning when and where you can drink, Japan is in many ways TOO tolerant. I don't think people under the age of 18 should be allowed to serve alcohol, be it at an izakaya or selling it at a convenience store. I like the fact that you can buy alcohol at all hours here, and drink it in parks or at BBQs on the beach, but I DON'T like that they'll sell it to any Joe Tanaka who's clearly had too many already (no cut-off) or the public debauchery that sometimes can be seen at hanami parties or what have you. No one should be subject to molestation, particularly children.

1 ( +4 / -3 )

And once more, alcohol was to blame. When are they finally going to ban that ugly drug?

-4 ( +2 / -6 )

Actually you still need a liquor licence in japan. But like in europe those are easy for beers/wine, hard liquor is another level. Granted as a european glad that I can buy a Curry-wurst and some gluehwein both in japan and overseas while taking a stroll.

Now back on topic. Legal age to work is set(here and overseas) so if she was at a legal age to work no worries, as for the cops(bad people abusing their powers) ....

0 ( +0 / -0 )

there is a very, very fine line between cops and criminals. Pleasure in weilding power over others, rampant narcissism, vulgar displays of power, intimidation of those percieved to be weak, etc etc etc. Many exceptions to this of course but again, fine line indeed

2 ( +2 / -0 )

This is precisely why you don't let minors into bars and pubs, let alone let them work at one....This isn't a case of sexual harassment but a case of child molestation... The bar owner needs some talking to and investigation on the establishment as well.

And since she's a minor, they probably pay her close to nothing...

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

You are wrong it"s Me. The only thing you need to open a legal establishment is the health certificate that you must display that you get from sitting at your local ward office two hour class. Just sit, and no tests. I know because I have one.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

JapanGal.

I got a few restaurant, etc owners that counter your statement.

But all is good I take advice from people I know personally over some internet posters. ;)

0 ( +0 / -0 )

It is perfectly legal for her to work at an Izakaya and serve alcohol. That is one of the nice things about Japan.

There is nothing "nice" about this and its one of the backwards things about Japan. As happened to the girl in this incident, bars and pubs are full of drunk people who do stupid things, including groping and fondling of employees. The fact that she's a minor only compounds the wrongness of the situation.

I looked this up and apparently Japanese labor laws allow minors to work part time wherever, as long as its within specified work hours, BUT they don't explicitly forbid minors from working or serving alcohol in bars and pubs. They can even work in love hotels and pachinko parlors if they want to. Its really up to the employer to control their own age policies and most don't hire minors. However, apparently this one thinks its okay for a 16 year old girl to serve alcohol to a bunch of drunken men which is really bad judgment in my opinion on the part of the employer, the girl, and her parents. I remember when I was 16, I had to get a work permit and my mother and my school's principal had to sign it in older to work at a fast food place. I would think they should have the same system here to ensure that the minors aren't working at some shady establishment.

Here is the labor law in question

労働基準法61条で、(深夜業) 第六十一条使用者は、満十八才に満たない者を午後十時から午前五時までの間において使用してはならない。 と定められています。

Roughly translated:

Standard Labor Law Article 61 (late hour establishments) Article 61 states that employers shall not use minors under the age of 18 between the hours of 10PM and 5AM.

So as long as this girl wasn't working between those hours, its perfectly okay, regardless of the type of business or what she was doing there (including handing of alcohol)...so many stupid loopholes that shady businesses and business owners can take advantage of in Japan...so damn ridiculous!

4 ( +6 / -2 )

And once more, alcohol was to blame.

No, alcohol was not to blame. The two police trainees were, and still are allegedly to blame.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Apart from the disgusting act of the two cops (let's hope they rot in jail), I find it absolutely shocking that a 16 years-old girl could work in a pub serving alcohol and inhaling second-hand smoke. Shouldn't minors be protected from second-hand smoke? I wouldn't let my son enter any smoking place (granted he's still very young).

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

Are people seriously trying to blame the woman and/or put her in the negative spotlight based upon her place of employment?

1 ( +4 / -3 )

Are people seriously trying to blame the woman and/or put her in the negative spotlight based upon her place of employment?

First of all, she is not a women, she's a girl...a very young girl whose not allowed to smoke or drink yet (per Japanese law), and yet she is allowed to serve drinks among those who do smoke and drink. Regardless of what the law says (or doesn't say in this case) she should not be working there. Most employers in Japan are smart enough to not employ people younger than 18 in bars and pubs, because its just welcoming trouble.

This reminds me of the little elementary school aged girl who mixes cocktails and yet claims that she's never tasted any of her concoctions...yeah right!

So to answer your question ...yes, I do blame the girl, her parents, the police officers and the shady people who employed her, because those are the people who are endangering her safety and put her in this predicament.

-2 ( +3 / -5 )

What the keystones have made the news again? And the numbers keeps increasing......They appear lost in solving or preventing real crimes without pubic help ...but when it comes to profiling they are on top of that!

0 ( +0 / -0 )

perhaps i'm wrong, but it seems to me that people from USA commenting here are more concerned with the horror of a 16 girl part-time serving at a bar, than with the pigs that groped her. USA ain't my standard of ideal society, rather far from it.

Moderator: Referring to the police as "pigs" is extremely offensive. It also went out of style in the 1970s. Furthermore, it is a term that should never be used by mature adults.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

You people putting the blame anywhere but on the two J-cops is ridiculous!

Those who are employed by an establishment that serves alcohol are guilty of nothing more than making money. If the line of logic here is followed, then anyone and everyone who has been to an establishment that employs youth are also guilty.

This is exactly the mentality that keeps crimes against women in the dark ages. If you are attacked the finger is pointed at the victim and she must go through the humiliation of trying to prove her purity.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Apologies. It is a Liquor form for the Tax people, so I guess that can be considered a license. )-(

1 ( +2 / -1 )

If it had of been me (or any other foreigner) our names would have been mentioned. Where are the names of the riot police in question???? As for the girl she has done nothing wrong. It is actually a delight that she is working in an izakaya and hasn't taken the other easier route and ended up in a sleazy grope me all night watering hole owned by the gutter mob. I know she is only 16 and most people will say she can't work in the hostess industry because she is too young but there are many students around our way working in such places at the same age. Give her a break.....she was pushed back into the toilets by the guys she is supposed to trust.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

You people putting the blame anywhere but on the two J-cops is ridiculous!

It is so obvious that these cops should be jailed for a long time and banned from the job, it doesn't even need to be discussed.

The young victim has been sexually assaulted and I sincerely hope she will get justice and that she will be able to recover (psychologically and physically) without too much harm.

That being said, she shouldn't have been working there, because of alcohol and second-hand smoke. The two problems (sexual assault and employment of minors in bars) are unrelated, but this doesn't mean the question whether such places should not employ minors should not be discussed.

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

I agree with you TakaDomingo

1 ( +3 / -2 )

All I am saying is that the girl exercised poor judgment. Should she be punished...other than being grounded for a week ...no (that is if her parents didn't give permission for her to work there -if they did, then they are just as much to blame as the police for endangering a minor)....And I do remind everyone who thinks its okay for her to be there..SHE'S A MINOR!!...A CHILD in the eyes of the law, hence shouldn't be serving people drinks or be in a bar PERIOD!

Those who are employed by an establishment that serves alcohol are guilty of nothing more than making money.

This is like letting your 14 year old daughter marry a 60 year old man...it doesn't make it okay even if there is nothing in the law that forbids it. Its a matter of common sense, and it is very apparent that nobody involved here had any!

-1 ( +3 / -4 )

Just fire these bastards without severence pay. The crime was commited around 10:05PM so there's nothing wrong with the establishment.

Just remember in Japan, the cops, yakuza and politicians are all the same.(Just my opinion.)

http://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20111009-00000065-mai-soci

1 ( +2 / -1 )

I just got a note from a friend that helps people to start up their own small restaurants.

I recall there are no special licenses for serving liquor. Selling alcohol like a liquor store though more than likely yes.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Alcohol, drunk men, young women is a very, very ABUNAI combination in any country. Who in their right mind would let their daughters go work in izakayas etc..?? Just plain stupid, so we get problems like this news of 2 young horny off duty cops trying to rape a young girl working at her local izakaya.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

Stephen Jez: "Are people seriously trying to blame the woman and/or put her in the negative spotlight based upon her place of employment?"

I don't see a single person blaming the young woman in question, but I see a good deal of people question the laws, and how loosely they are upheld (forgetting these are police who molested the young woman). Don't read into it too much.

Once again I read this and am baffled by the absolute lack of upholding the law, and the stupidity and criminal behaviour of the police. I have said time and again that the "Crime" section of this site should be divided into "Crime/J-cops", and this is yet another example of why. All this week, and this IS 'traffic safety month', no?, I have on my way home passed countless izakayas with a number of scooters and bicycles, and cars parked outside. If the police were serious about stopping drinking and driving (or riding bikes drunk) they need only wait outside such places. Granted, SOME of the people might not be drinking, but the local PTA enkai in my neighbourhood with 15 ("paturoru chuu") mama-charis parked outside while they were getting drunk inside and they won't even check?

No wonder why things like this young woman possibly working illegally and then being molested BY COPS goes unchecked. Disgusting.

Moderator: Your references to bikes and scooters renders your post off topic. Please repost.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Licensing and age aside, TWO serving Police officers attempted to Rape an underage girl, molest is used as she got away, had she not rape quite possibly was next. Police officers drunk or not should have an inkling that their behavior was astray. What is the service teaching their sworn officers...girls are begging for it? Disgusting and certainly does not inspire confidence in the Police.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Its fine and dandy everyone has there 2 cents about the article but its really annoying to see comments like "There is nothing "nice" about this and its one of the backwards things about Japan" if you dont like it and live in Japan, go home! If you dont live in Japan, mind your own business. This is not Europe this is not the US, this is Japan, let them run "their" country "their" way and quit trying to make them seem like they are wrong. I love to visit Japan and I love the fact its bible thumper light compared to western countries and I never want them to change and become like us.

Sorry MOD, i know the article wasnt about this but i get tired of seeing comments like this from self proclaimed "rightous" people. feel free to delete

0 ( +3 / -3 )

Is there ever anything nice about molestation, attempted rape, wether you live here or visit? As a father stories like this instill fear for my daughters and their future...thank god we can trust the police.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

It's all just part of training how to grapple rioting youths! It's the girl's duty to assist!

-3 ( +1 / -4 )

Mirai: "All I am saying is that the girl exercised poor judgment. Should she be punished...other than being grounded for a week ..."

The girl should be punished for being molested?? You're disgusting.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

They better not get off with that kind of excuse. At least, a looooooooooong suspension without pay.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

This girl was of legal working age. She was working in a restaurant that serves alcohol...yes, izakaya. Her choice of workplace does not mean she deserves to be molested. Common sense would be that two police officers do NOT molest ANYONE!

1 ( +2 / -1 )

More info for some of you that moralize about Japanese laws. It is perfectly legal for her to have been there. This is all a restaurant needs to open.

You need 2 things in order to start restaurant. Shokuhin eisei sekininsha--- need to take class and you'll get it. One more is the application to the public health center.

The girl was great to report it, and needs to know how to use her knees to damage idiots like these two guys, and to learn to scream as loud as she can.

1 ( +4 / -3 )

Its fine and dandy everyone has there 2 cents about the article but its really annoying to see comments like "There is nothing "nice" about this and its one of the backwards things about Japan"

I guess you are calling me out...well it so happens I do live in Japan, and have been here off and on most of my life. If I didn't live here, or care about this place so much, then I wouldn't make a single comment and I would leave things well enough alone. But the fact of the matter is, I will be here for a long time and so will my kid, and I don't want her to grow up in a broken and twisted society that allows child labor in bars and pubs, and gives leniency to police who may grope her. I am that conservative of a person nor am I a bible thumper...I can't stand religion (but that's another story). All I want is a safe society to raise a family, not a corrupt government that gives a free pass to the highest bidder.

I love to visit Japan and I love the fact its bible thumper light compared to western countries and I never want them to change and become like us.

If you dont live in Japan, mind your own business

By these statements, I am assuming that you don't even live here and you only come to visit, so in your own words...why would you care what happens here? Why don't YOU take your own advice and mind your own business, because you obviously think this is all okay because you don't have to deal with any of it.

I do live here and THIS IS MY BUSINESS. All of it because I care about what happens here and the future home of my kids.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

Sorry typo. should be: I am Not that conservative of a person

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Readers, please stay on topic and keep the discussion civil.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I guess you are calling me out

That made me smile. I heard it in a movie last night. It was very old.

We never seem to have follow ups on these sort of episodes. Will JT keep us informed as to what happens to these two guys?

0 ( +3 / -3 )

If this is off topic then I apologize but I often read articles like this on JT about police being arrested for sexual harassment but don't often see articles about punishment or sentencing. People often make remarks in the comments section here suggesting that Police are usually not punished very heavily for this sort of thing. Can anybody give a link to a specific case somewhat similar to this that includes the punishment?

Thanks

3 ( +4 / -1 )

That won't be necessary. Please keep the discussion focused on this case.

I agree that it doesn't seem very smart to have such a young girl working at an izakaya (essentially a bar). But if if she is mature enough to handle both a job and college at age 16, as it said in the article, then maybe she's mature enough to handle serving alcohol. She certainly proved it to some extent by reporting the crime. I'm proud of her for doing it, especially when the tendency is to shut up or cover it up. Good for her! Bad for the cops!

And sorry, but I have to say it, Psyops: I am not Japanese. But I live in Japan and it's my permanent home. I hope to live here until I die a hundred or so years from now, so I think that I have as much right as someone who was born here to try and shape the laws. That said, since I don't live there and don't plan to return there, I really have no business voting on laws to govern my birth-country, the US. So I don't. I choose my home to be Japan.

Hope some kind of strict punishment happens to these cops! Sure, I understand how "things can happen," but I've never been drunk to the point where I would allow myself to commit such a serious crime. (Not that most guys would complain if a nice-looking girl started molesting them in the bar, I'm sure, but still)

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Last thing we want is to know what if anything happens to these two after all. We read the story let's move on, anything more about it would not be harmonious.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

I'm so sick of this being called "groping." When one or more men forcible push a female into a closed off area and attacks her it is called "attempted rape." How would it have gone if the girl could not have escaped? And why does being drunk allow men to act the monkey-boys from Quest For Fire?

1 ( +3 / -2 )

JapanGal, one thing may be legal, ok? Sure put a young beautiful girl in a bar, izakaya etc..to serve drinks, with a bunch of drunk men?? This is just ASKING for trouble, if this does not make any sense to you, well I hope your knees are ready for all the drunks out there, meaning hentai oyajis etc..why put yourself in that problem in the first place?? I would not want my daughter to work with a bunch of drunken fools, so I kind of understand what Foxie is on, wishing to ban alcohol, I think we can go over to Saudi Arabia and Iran for that right??

-3 ( +0 / -3 )

16 year olds should not work in drinking establishments

police should only drink at home

0 ( +3 / -3 )

Izakaya are not Bars. They are restaurants.

Why are so many of you saying that they are full of drunk men.

The only people I ever see drunk in Izakaya are under aged high school kids, and they are not molesting anyone.

-2 ( +4 / -6 )

The only people I ever see drunk in Izakaya are under aged high school kids, and they are not molesting anyone.

Obviously you haven't been to many of them. I have seen people get really rowdy and yell at the top of their lungs at people whom they don't even know. I have seen girls so drunk that they literally have to be carried out by their companions. I have seen people who have gotten so drunk that the basically pass out on the restroom floor in the middle of their own vomit (on many occasions). These are NOT "restaurants" they are drinking establishment that serve hard alcohol, so they are much closer to being a bar than a restaurant. Their main source of income is the sale of alcohol NOT food, hence you get nomihodai's and drinking time limits (which you don't see at a typical restaurant. All you need to do is go to ANY izakaya during a bonenkai or shinnenkai, and you'd realize that they are not a place for minors to be working.

Under aged high school kids are typically not allowed unless accompanied by an adult. The establishments that do let kids in are shady, and should be shut down.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

I grew up here Mirai-san. Did you?

If you are going to places with time limits for drinking, which is very rare, then why are you there? I would assume the food is bad, and the drinks are cheap watered down junk.

Learn the language and go to real Izakaya. Young people will be working there, and you will get good food and service.

0 ( +4 / -4 )

Jgal...I did grow up here and I speak Japanese fluently..hence I've seen it all. Nomihodai time limits are not rare, they are all over Shinjuku. The quality may be poor, but they exist (complete with drunk patorns), and in abundance

0 ( +3 / -3 )

Didnt see this story on nhk last night

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Alcohol is only the trigger of indecent behaviour. The reason of indecent behaviour is "a$$holes". Alcohol doesn't turn good people into bad people. It is a dangerous drug that has to consumed with caution if at all because it slows reaction times and inhibits mental awareness.

But these two guys had some severe flaws of character. They are definitely not suited for a job, where they have to rely on personal judgement. They should get the harshest punishment possible. And they should have to quit their jobs.

And I don't get why people complain about underage kids working in bars or izakayas serving food and alcohol, as long as they do not work late hours. The problem is similar to kids working at convenience stores. No problem at all, if the customers behave, as long as the normal activities (like school) do not suffer.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

Mirai, Shinjuku does not have the best places to go to. You must be into Kabukicho and the trash so called Izakaya. I am sure you must be able to read nomihodai then in Japanese as you are fluent. Why would you walk into one of those places?

Tabehodai is just as bad. Junk cuisine to make the masses obese like those from around the world.

1 ( +5 / -4 )

I just posted above 7 minutes or so ago and got a thumbs down already...and the person did not even post under me to tell me why. Duh

Johannes Weber

I agree with what you wrote.

1 ( +4 / -3 )

The quality may be poor, but they exist (complete with drunk patorns), and in abundance

Never said that I like them or go them frequently...all I am saying is that they exist, not only in Shinjuku but in Shibuya, Roppongi, and all other night life areas in Tokyo.

Mirai, Shinjuku does not have the best places to go to. You must be into Kabukicho and the trash so called Izakaya.

Attacking a person's character rather than the issue is never an effective argument in a debate.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Whatever.

-2 ( +2 / -4 )

And I don't get why people complain about underage kids working in bars or izakayas serving food and alcohol, as long as they do not work late hours.

@Johannes Weber

Do you not see what is wrong with your statement? The keyword here is "underage kids". Would you let your teenage daughter work in a bar or pub? I sure wouldn't. There's so many things that could go wrong, for example: people molesting your kid. Don't think that this is a freak occurrence from a couple of bad apples. It happens all the time. People get drunk and do stupid things that they'd normally would not do.

And who's making sure that the kids aren't working late hours? The employer??!? Unless there are police standing by the door, the employer is not going to care how late the kids work. In this case, we did have police on the premises...was the kid safe? Did she go home on time? According to another article, the incident occurred after 10PM which is the curfew for underaged minors.

Comparing a convenience store to a bar is apple and oranges. You usually don't see people drinking in a convenience store, and there are usually no open cans of alcohol at one either.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

16 year old girl working bar / restaurant? .

So I guess all the waiters, waitresses, busboys, cooks, and other staff that are HS aged in let's say the US should have their bosses tossed into jail for hiring underage kids?

HS aged kids have few options to find PT jobs and working in an izakaya is probably better than what some of the other options are out there.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

According to NTV, the two men pushed the employee back into the women’s restroom as she was coming out at about 7 p.m.

All the articles I read said 7 p.m.

A real Izakaya is not a bar or a pub. The concept is totally different.

They are allowed to work till 10 p.m. and that is good because they get paid more in the evening.

16 is a teenager and not a kid. Every Izakaya owner I know has the teenagers out of there right before 10. They follow the law, unlike places in Shinjuku.

You cannot make your own laws and rules. You must abide by the host countries laws. The girl had every right to be working.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

@Yubaru

The US is a completely different world. You literally can't even hold a container of alcohol let alone serve it, mix it, drink it, or sniff it. My 62 year old uncle had to call me on his cell phone to tell me to come and carry his cup of beer at a baseball game because the server would not let him carry it without presenting ID. I had to asked the guy if he seriously thought my graying wrinkly old uncle looked like he was under 21. He just responded "not my rules, its the law".

So to answer your question, if the establishment serves alcohol, the owner would probably be thrown in jail for letting a teenager serve it.

HS kids have PLENTY of options. The typical option is a supermarket, fast food, tutoring, babysitting, food service in a restaurant (not a bar or a pub), department store. candy shop, ice cream shop, newspaper delivery, gas station, car wash...need I say more? Those are typical teenage jobs.

A real Izakaya is not a bar or a pub.

An izakaya is a pub... a place where they serve liquor, booze, alcohol, spirits...period. Look at the kanji 居酒屋. It even has the word "sake" in it. C'mon! It doesn't take a genius to figure out that the core business of these places are to serve booze, hence its a bar or a pub! The only real difference between a pub and a bar is whether or not they sell food as opposed to just drinking snacks. A restaurant's core business is to sell food first, and a limited selection of alcohol to compliment the food....geez never thought I'd ever have to ever explain that.

-3 ( +0 / -3 )

So at 16 she's still a child then.

Lock them up and throw away the key.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

HS kids have PLENTY of options. The typical option is a supermarket, fast food, tutoring, babysitting, food service in a restaurant (not a bar or a pub), department store. candy shop, ice cream shop, newspaper delivery, gas station, car wash...need I say more? Those are typical teenage jobs.

@Mirai, evidently you have never been to nor lived in Japan by some of the suggestions you posted here.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

@Mirai:

In my country it is perfectly legal for teens aged 16 to drink soft alcohol and at age 18 to drink the hard stuff. Those who drink until they lose consciousness or do stupid things don't care about the age. And they do it in many, many different places, not only in bars or izakayas.

Honestly, I'd be more afraid if I had a daughter if she worked in a convenience store. In an pub or bar or izakaya there is normally more grown-up staff that can come to the aid of an underage part-timer than in a convenience store at night.

I do not know of too many problems in my country specifically related to teens working part-time as waiters or waitresses. Many young people work in cafes, small restaurants or pubs. Of course, you can get alcohol almost everywhere. Even though I must admit that the cabinet structure of an izakaya has a completely differently atmosphere from a social pub in my country, which I always consider somewhat creepy.

But it might be a difference in the culture - either on the side of the guests, who would be never allowed to this place again - or on the side of the owner, who might pay small wages, but still doesn't want his employees/charges to come to harm. Maybe the regulators should be stricter on the owners, but I guess Japanese justice is probably blind on that eye.

I guess anonymity is one of the main reasons, why gropers and perverts have such an easy life in Japan.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

All readers back on topic please.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

These two men are not police material. No matter where they might have gone to drink, they would have caused trouble. I do not know how people come to become cops here, but obviously psychological testing does not seem to be happening.

Maybe they should have on the application process and afternoon of drinking in a controlled area and video how they act.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Wow...reading the last several comments above it seems that people have lost sight of the matter. Would it have been alright if the police molested an adult???? Geez louise like i added earlier...the girl did nothing wrong. Who cares if she was working there or not. Would you rather she be standing on the street corner in a short skirt or perhaps working in a sleazy grope-me club to make money perhaps to pay for her eductaion (who knows what her situation is and why she is working there in the first place!!). Lets get back on topic.....the 2 riot police dopes.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Thank you ratpack. It drives me crazy how people always seem to want to blame the victim in these cases, and not the actual criminals.

Back on topic here, I really do wonder why these scumbags weren't charged with attempted rape, not merely molestation.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Back on topic here, I really do wonder why these scumbags weren't charged with attempted rape, not merely molestation.

Statements of the victim perhaps? Or the realization that mind reading is just not possible? Besides, there were two of them, and if it had actually been attempted rape, we would be reading more than just something about breasts being fondled. But I would say false imprisonment could be easily added to the charges.

And some say that Japan is backwards because of this? This is just once incident. Backwards is yelling "backwards" when a nationwide system exhibits one incident that you know of. Its also pretty immature. Maturity level might also explain why this is not such a problem in Japan.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Some people don't seem to know what an izakaya is. Also, the difference between minor and child and what a pedophile is also seems to be unknown. I shudder to think that some of these people have graduated college. Some should be handing their diplomas back. Even that dictionary created by the uptight straight laced sex negative Webster could help you out here, with the exception of the word izakaya. An izakaya is basically a restaurant with more finger food than entrees that serves alcohol and has the lights dimmed a little bit. Compared to a sports bar its closer to being as tame as McDonalds. And if you want to know the horrors that can happen at McDonalds to teens even younger, look up strip search prank call scam.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I guess they handn't gottent to the "don't sexually molest 16 year old girls" part of the riot police training yet.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Horny men and alcohol is a dangerous mix, period, full stop as some one here posted. You put yourself to be bait for hungry drunken sharks?? Just a recipe for trouble in a izakaya, bar, restaurant etc..

-3 ( +0 / -3 )

They were just frisking her. That's what cops do. Anyway, since she's 16, the judge will have to light on them. We all know how irresistible 16-year-old Japanese girls are. Let's get rid of these stupid age-of-consent laws, too.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

octopussy, it is extremely disconcerting that you would connect this incident with age of consent laws even as a joke. 16 is almost as standard as 18, but this event really has nothing to do with age or consent. If she was 24 I would be just as appalled. She was pushed into a restroom and sexually assaulted. Consent has zero to do with it. Age of consent is an issue your raise when a legal adult and an adult are dating and both are smiling. What we have here is forcible gang molestation and age of consent is as relevant as the color of the restroom door.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Yes, in the U.S. minors may work as waitstaff in bars, taverns, pubs. They may serve but not pour alcohol. Example: You sit at a table instead of the bar and your 15 year old waitress must take your I.D. to the 21 year old bartender. After the bartender acknowledges that you are of legal drinking age they will mix your cocktail or tap your beer. Then your 15 year old waitstaff brings it to your table. They are not allowed to mix drinks, tap beers, or even twist the cap off of your bottle of Becks. That is the bartenders responsibility. They carry your drink from bar to table. That's it. I won't go into whether allowing a 15 or 16 year old girl to work in that type of environment is socially/morally acceptable but it is legally acceptable. Yes, local police can and will, do spot checks in establishments from time to time unannounced, to attempt to make sure the rules are being followed. However, they are not drunk or off duty when they do so. The two characters in question SHOULD be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. They are unsuited for their choice of occupation. However, I hear Japan is looking for a few good crane truck drivers, so maybe when this is all over they can still find a way to make a living.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

ramses68.

Similar to Japan.

Your compulsory education ends at age 16, so you are free to work. Law stipulates work till 22:00 and need to be home by 23:00 for underage.

And I could a worse intro to adult life than working at a bar and seeing how people end up.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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