The tragedy of a female student being stalked by a lover

In January 1999, 21-year-old student Shiori Ino started dating Kazuhito Komatsu, 26, a massage parlor business with her brother Takeshi. The couple met at an amusement park near Omiya Station in Omiya Ward, Saitama. Kazuhito, 23, claims to be an entrepreneur in the automotive, real estate and precious metals sectors.

After four or five dates, Kazuhito began giving Shiori expensive gifts such as Louis Vuitton bags and Gucci clothes in public places and loudly scolded when denied. Around this time, Shiori found a credit card with Kazuhito’s real name in the car, discovering he was lying. When she tries to cut off contact, Kazuhito threatens her until she agrees to continue meeting.

On March 24, 1999, Shiori confided to a friend that she feared her life was in danger. On March 30, Shiori wrote a will, trying to cut ties with Kazuhito again, but failed because he threatened her family, hinting at harming Shiori’s elementary school brother.

On June 14, Shiori met Kazuhito at a coffee shop and expressed emphatically that she didn’t want to see him again. On the same day, Kazuhito, Takeshi and a group of friends went to Shiori’s house, threatened her mother and daughter, and fabricated that Shiori was responsible because Kazuhito embezzled money to buy her gifts. They continued to threaten Shiori’s father when he got home from work. When he was kicked out of the house with gifts, the three withdrew but said they did not want the gifts back.

Shiori recorded the whole process and handed it over to the Saitama Prefectural Police Station in Ageo City the next day. But the police refused to make a record. On the same day, Shiori’s family received a call from someone calling themselves “Tanaka” asking for the return of the gift, along with about 20 harassing calls. These calls continued every day until October 26.

On June 16, Shiori again went to Saitama police station with her parents. Police again refused to intervene, accusing her of breaking up with a passionate pursuer after accepting expensive gifts. The family then went to a free legal office run by the Chamber of Commerce on the recommendation of the police. After 15 minutes of consultation, the lawyer dismissed their concerns and said: “Isn’t she bought for a lot of things?”.

The next day, Shiori receives a call from Kazuhito asking to get back together. She refused and said she went to the police. He got angry and abruptly hung up the phone.

On June 21, Shiori sent everything Kazuhito forced her to receive to his address by courier service.

Kazuhito gets angry, telling his brother about wanting revenge. On June 22, Takeshi met Yoshifumi Kubota, 33 years old, a former manager of one of the massage parlors, and discussed a plan to hire someone to kill Shiori for 20 million yen. Kubota agreed, recruiting two acquaintances, Akira Kawakami and Yoshitaka Ito, to carry out the plan.

On July 5, Kazuhito left Saitama Prefecture for Naha City, Okinawa Prefecture to create an alibi.

Over the next four months, the Shiori family endured a growing array of harassment and intimidation, including hundreds of posters and letters slandering the Shiori father and son that were distributed throughout the neighborhood and workplace. The family repeatedly went to the police with letters, photos of license plates and other evidence, but no action was taken. They wanted to sue for defamation but were prevented by senior police officers fearing an increase in the number of unsolved cases would damage their position.

Meanwhile, Kubota, Kawakami, and Ito take Shiori’s photo with them, spying on her whereabouts and the local train station to plot the murder.

On October 26, 1999, Shiori rode her bicycle out of her house, heading to Okegawa Station to go to school. Ito watched her from a nearby car, alerting Kawakami to drive Kubota to the station first.

As Shiori got off her bicycle, Kubota approached her, stabbing her twice. The female student died at 12:50 at the hospital.

Immediately after the murder, the Saitama police began a campaign to spread misinformation, falsely portraying Shiori as a prostitute, miner, and prostitute. The Kazuhito brothers and their accomplices were arrested only when journalist Kiyoshi Shimizu personally investigated the case. Kiyoshi’s report, published in the magazine Focusexposing what Shiori had to endure because of Kazuhito, along with a photo of her stalker.

On December 19, 1999, Kubota was arrested. The next day, Takeshi, Kawakami and Ito were also arrested. On January 16, 2000, eight other people were arrested for assisting in harassing Shiori.

Kazuhito was issued a wanted notice. He escaped to Sapporo, Hokkaido and was tracked there by journalist Kiyoshi. On January 27, 2000, Kazuhito’s body was found in a lake in the town of Teshikaga. A note in his hotel luggage revealed that he had planned to commit suicide shortly after arranging Shiori’s assassination.

Kubota was sentenced to 18 years in prison. Kawakami and Ito were both sentenced to 15 years in prison. Takeshi received a life sentence.

The Saitama Prefectural Police were criticized in the media for being irresponsible and had to hold a hearing on Shiori’s handling of the case. The head of the police force officially apologized to the victim’s family. Following the investigation, six officers were disciplined, three senior police officers were fired and charged with forging documents due to their refusal to deal with the allegations that Shiori made when he was repeatedly harassed by Kazuhito. tangled. All three were sentenced to more than a year in prison but were given suspended sentences.

On December 22, 2000, Shiori’s family sued the Saitama police. On February 16, 2003, the district court ruled that the police must pay compensation for emotional harm, but dismissed the police’s indifference that led to the murder.

Influenced by Shiori’s case, a stalker law came into effect in November 2000 in Japan.

Tue Anh (According to Japan Times, Japan Today)