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Posted in: Ichihashi's former mentor sheds new light on 2007 Hawker murder case See in context

-I stumbled across this old link while surfing a few topics related to NOVA (the English conversation school), & being curious about the murder case, gave it a read.

-I was immediately struck by Dr. (I assume as a professor emiratus, that he has a Ph.D) Motoyama's use of the affectionate term "kun" for Ichihashi- it was jarring right off the top- especially for a convicted (and confessed) rapist and murderer, and completely inappropriate. The tone of the rest of the piece was just as puzzling and indeed off-putting.

-One of the reasons it's puzzling is that Dr. Motoyama must be an intelligent, and it would appear, sensitive man, but he wrote this piece with a rather singular lack of awareness of the sensibilities of his potential readers. It's written from a very personal point of view- almost as if from the inside of a personal bubble- and is off-putting in it's lack of regard for the situation of the victim or her family. The fact that they aren't even mentioned once is quite telling.

-Little wonder it evoked such a passionate response on the part of so many readers. Yes, compassion and an attempt at understanding is called for even in the case of murderers, and is especially understandable when one has had a close relationship with them, but how about some for the victim and those left behind, Dr. Motoyama? In writing a piece such as this, a better sense of balance is not only called for, it's demanded.

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