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crime

Woman arrested after breaking into Koizumi's home

37 Comments

Police said Saturday that a 33-year-old woman has been arrested for breaking and entering into the home of former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture.

According to police, a member of Koizumi's family contacted the officer on duty at the front gate at 7:30 a.m., saying that a strange woman had entered the house. TBS reported that police found the woman sitting in a chair in the reception room.

The woman, who has been identified as Akiyo Kondo from Ashikaga, Tochigi Prefecture, was quoted by police as saying she wanted to meet Koizumi's son.

Koizumi was away from home at the time and no one in the house was injured, police said.

Police said the woman was at Koizumi's house once before last month and was turned away at the front gate.

There is a 24-hour guard on Koizumi's home but police did not say how the woman got in unobserved.

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37 Comments
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There is a 24-hour guard on Koizumi’s home

Why?

-12 ( +3 / -14 )

Presumably because he is a former Prime Minister. Former U.S. Presidents also receive a certain level of Secret Service protection.

8 ( +10 / -2 )

But there are so many former PMs! I am entertained to consider how many of the nation's finest are being made to sit in a genkan and do a rubbish job of protecting the inhabitants.

Though since Koizumi was "away from home at the time", who/what is it the police are actually protecting?

-4 ( +5 / -8 )

I'm surprised they didn't say her age, but Koizumi's son is a handsome young man, so I think the police better treat this as a stalker.

-5 ( +2 / -7 )

"police found the woman sitting in a chair in the reception room"

That's really creepy, I would probably scream or run if I wake up one day and found a stranger in my home

5 ( +5 / -0 )

@justbcuzisay

I'm surprised they didn't say her age

Did you read the article from the first line ?

Police said Saturday that a 33-year-old woman

2 ( +3 / -1 )

If there was no injury, then why not report if in fact she had a weapon or had a motive.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

The motive is stated in the story.

maria, former state heads need that kind of security, for various reasons, so it's more than justified. moreover, how many do you think there'd be? people do die, no?

2 ( +5 / -3 )

moreover, how many do you think there'd be? people do die, no?

There are 13. And based on the information in this article, there must be at least one to accompany the man when he leaves the house, and one minimum to stay on the premises. If the ex-PM has more than one residence, I suppose there must be someone there as well.

If direct relatives are also attended, then the number continues to increase. The person/son duty should be doing the job they have been assigned to do, otherwise it's a waste of money and effort.

2 ( +5 / -3 )

These people are getting really scary. Why isn't she being considered a stalker?

0 ( +2 / -2 )

@Mirai, maybe it's three strikes before a person is labeled a stalker?

0 ( +1 / -1 )

TorafusuTorasanJAN. 12, 2014 - 10:32AM JST @olrik, that sounds like a line from a Bruce Campbell movie.

It's the famous line by Brig. Gen. Jack D. Ripper in the seminal political black comedy, "Dr. Strangelove."

0 ( +1 / -1 )

@ Maria, OK so when you said /////But there are so many former PMs!/////, you meant 13. Cool.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Why yes, puregaijin, that's right!

Let me explain - 13 alive of 19 since the 80s is rather a lot compared with other countries with a stable political system: 7 of 8 ex-leaders in Canada since the 80s still alive, 3 of 3 in Germany, 6 of 6 in Australia, 3 of 4 in the UK , 7 of 11 in Turkey, and even the livelier political system of Italy only has 10 of 14 to protect, due to so many repeat offenders.

If money from taxes is going to go towards paying for the protection of such people, the authorities should at least make sure the job is being done properly.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

Ex PM and heads of states remain with the knowledge of state secrets thus are protected to safeguard those secrets. Immediate family members are also protected to prevent kidnapping and blackmail. Yes, even though they say they don't know they do.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

@ maria, you have now answered your very first question as to why there was a 24-hr guard at koizumi's.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

Er, no, that has already been answered quite clearly by Stephen Knight and ham21. Why the job isn't being done properly hasn't been made clear by anyone yet, which is a worry given how many people there are to protect and how many are being paid to protect them - at least 26 but probably twice that in a 24-hour period .

I hope, however, that you now understand what "many" means!

4 ( +4 / -0 )

What did the guard do when the strange woman entered Koizumi's house? This is a blunder of Kanagawa Prefecture Police.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

@fighting viking. I know, I realized my mistake after I hit send but there is no way to edit....

3 ( +3 / -0 )

So, was the guard on the loo or something? Koizumi was a hawk but he was the best PM Japan has had in 20-plus years. I'd prefer to meet him over meeting his son but that's just me.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

There is a 24-hour guard on Koizumi’s home but police did not say how the woman got in unobserved. WHAT A JOKE!! and a bad, terrible deadly joke if a homicidal maniac, etc..had entered while the Koizumis where there!! Time to fire and arrest these security idiot fools!!

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Police was on duty at gate, it stated, It did not say who pays the cost of guard. Many people hire private securty guards beside police protection. /why? Some people get into the garden without using the front gate. We don't know how this woman got into the sitting room. The family did not lock the windows or doors? Kind hard to lock each doors if wall is shoji walls. But windows should be locked. Maybe former dignitaries will redesign their home so that their families are better protected? Install security peek cameras like many business?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

There is a 24-hour guard on Koizumi’s home but police did not say how the woman got in unobserved. WHAT A >JOKE!! and a bad, terrible deadly joke if a homicidal maniac, etc..had entered while the Koizumis where there!! Time >to fire and arrest these security idiot fools!!

Of course a lapse in security, but there is only one guard standing at the FRONT gate. He is not the PM anymore and one has to look at "threat assessments" etc for former PMs. You cannot expect USA secret service style level protection for former Japanese PMs, the nature of Japan is different from the USA. Japanese cops still carry revolvers because that's all that is really needed. You don't see regular cops standing on the streets or on trains with machine guns like in other countries.

Obviously a crazy lady. But you cannot blame one officer who is assigned at the front gate to cover the whole house if he/she is not given the proper tools or manpower to do so. Blame the system not the officer.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

We can not compare USA system and Japanese system. PM selection custom in Japan differ US President election. The police in the gate more likely has duty of checking visitors identity. Unlikely to neglect his duty at the gate and snooping everywhere in the garden, maybe she climed up the wall and jumped down? Maybe she used a portable ladder? Maybe she is an athletic who knows how to open a window without breaking? Maybe she entered midnight and slept in the reception room? We don;t know.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Secret Service fail.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

Which one she want to meet with, poor acting son or politician son?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Which family member found this female stalker> It is early moring so my guess is one or two maids or a butler becuase of time she was found. Are they checking windows and doors for finger prints? If not rained outerior walls?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

She must have really wanted to meet that boy.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Koizumi fam.ily can use security guards from Koizumi;s Grnadfather's organizastion. His grandfather was a politician and nicknamed Irezumi Daijin. Minister of Post and Telegram. The Grandpa was capo de capo regime of Koizumigumi (;large organization) in Kanagawa-ken. This woman was lucky his Grandfather;s Koizumigumi was not used as guards men.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Koizumi family

I agree Toshiko. My thought at reading was they had a mawarisan standing at the gate to check that unsuspecting people don't approach at the risk of their life.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Koizumi had custody of two of his three sons: Kōtarō Koizumi and Shinjirō Koizumi, who were reared by one of his sisters. Shinjiro is the representative for Kanagawa's 11th district, a position his father has also filled. The youngest son, Yoshinaga Miyamoto, now a graduate of Keio University, was born following the divorce and has never met Koizumi. Yoshinaga is known to have attended one of Koizumi's rallies, but was turned away from trying to meet his father. He was also turned away from attending his paternal grandmother's funeral. Koizumi's ex-wife Kayoko Miyamoto has asked unsuccessfully several times to meet their two oldest sons He ia not married. So, his two older children and servants lived there, I assume. Hope papa will have better security. Japan now has women stlkers! ! Be careful !

0 ( +0 / -0 )

As we see stalkers and nutters come in both sexes.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

For anyone wondering why Koizumi has protection at his house, did you not read the article before posting? This article is case-in-point that reason he has security. Though the article does call into question just how effective that security is.

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

If it comes to light that the guard wasn't neglecting his duties and the woman entered via jumping the fence/wall, climbing or even catapulting on the Pm's garden grounds in an area he waskt assigned to check i hope whomever his boss is doesn't decide to fire him in order to save face.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

The police guard at the gate screen visitots. 'That is his duty. Sounded like she could only get into receprion room. Maybe security is tight? Article does not state how she got in. Maybe they don't want to tell how, to prevent from copycatter? Really Japan is equal opportunity cointry. Sexists do not mean men anymore.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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