On Monday, the Tokyo High Court found Tamotsu Shiiki, 58, guilty of nonconsensual sexual intercourse with a 12-year-old girl. However, the former politician won’t be facing any jail time as long as he doesn’t reoffend. Judge Chikako Murata described his crime as “vile,” yet only handed down a three-year prison sentence, suspended for five years. Prosecutors had sought a five-year jail term and can appeal to a higher court. Murata, though, said the sentence was “appropriate” as Shiiki had apologized, promised not to reoffend and paid compensation. Unsurprisingly, the lenient sentencing sparked outrage in Japan.
‘Outrageously Light Sentence’ for the Rape of a 12-Year Old
“This is an outrageously light sentence, particularly as the girl was so young,” Sumie Kawakami, a lecturer at Yamanashi Gakuin University, told the South China Morning Post. “The court said he showed regret and he has paid some amount of compensation, but I don’t see that as an excuse at all.” She added, “There is a lot of prejudice in this society against sex workers and, also, it is not unusual for someone to pay compensation in return for a reduced sentence. But I cannot understand this outrageously light punishment.”
The incident occurred on the evening of August 20 last year. According to the victim, Shiiki approached her while she was walking in Shinjuku’s Kabukicho district. They then went to a karaoke parlor together. A staff member there felt it was suspicious and told his manager, who contacted the police. Shiiki initially denied the charge. “We entered the karaoke room together, but there was no sexual intercourse,” he told the police. He later admitted to it, though, and during the trial, said, “The victim looked more mature than her real age and had feminine charms, so I was tempted.”
Shiiki was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2012. He lost his seat two years later, but was reelected in 2015 as a runner-up in a proportional representation seat after Hirofumi Yoshimura, the current governor of Osaka Prefecture, resigned to run for the Osaka mayoral election. Shiiki ran again in the 2017 and 2021 general elections but failed to secure a seat. His days as a politician are almost certainly numbered, but he walks away a free man in a country that doesn’t have a sex offenders registry.
