This week’s news roundup is dominated by crime. Charges have been filed against a go-kart company in Tokyo for renting out karts to unlicensed foreign tourists. A string of robberies in the Kanto region are believed to be linked to a dark part-time jobs group. Comedian Shinji Saito has been referred to prosecutors for sexually assaulting a woman and performing nonconsensual sexual intercourse on her. And Iwao Hakamada’s acquittal is finally made official. Also this week, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba dissolves parliament and Japan’s men’s soccer team win their latest World Cup qualifier.
Go-Kart Company Allowed Foreign Tourists To Drive Without International Licenses
The Metropolitan Police Department has reportedly filed charges against a go-kart company in Tokyo on suspicion of violating the Road Traffic Act for renting out karts to unlicensed foreign tourists and letting them drive on public roads. The karts are classified as “ordinary automobiles” under the Road Traffic Act, so a driver’s license is required. The rental company is thought to have not thoroughly informed foreign tourists of the rules regarding international licenses.
The owner of the company is said to be a man in his 40s. He is suspected of renting out one kart each to two foreign tourists, neither of whom had an international driver’s license valid in Japan. The pair, who are from countries that are not members of the Geneva Convention, drove on public roads in April. One of the two men caused property damage and was subsequently arrested by the police.
A young Iwao Hakamada courtesy of Kyodo
Prosecutors Won’t Appeal Hakamada’s Acquittal
Iwao Hakamada, 88, was officially acquitted on Wednesday after prosecutors waived their right to appeal. Naomi Unemoto, Japan’s prosecutor general, said the decision not to appeal was because Hakamada had been “put in a legal limbo for such a long time.” She added, “We have decided, after thorough consideration, that it is not appropriate to prolong this situation.” Hakamada’s sister, Hideko, said: “I’m very glad that everything is over, and the trial is truly ending.”
Hakamada was sentenced to death in 1968, charged with the murder of a family of four in Shizuoka Prefecture. In 2014, the Shizuoka District Court granted him a retrial and demanded his immediate release as there was reason to believe evidence against him had been falsified. Last month, Hakamada was found not guilty. It’s the fifth time in postwar Japan that a death row inmate has been acquitted in a retrial.
Series of Robberies Across Greater Tokyo Linked to Dark Part-Time Jobs Group
On Tuesday, the National Police Agency held a meeting with senior officers from Tokyo, Chiba, Kanagawa and Saitama in an attempt to find out if there’s a connection between seven different robberies that have taken place throughout the Kanto region over the past month. Homes and shops have been targeted in violent attacks by small groups. The perpetrators broke in and threatened the people inside, before fleeing with money and goods.
Police suspect the robbers may have been recruited to work what are known as yami baito (dark part-time jobs). They assaulted and robbed an elderly couple in Tokorozawa city, Saitama, and attacked a woman in her 60s in Kokubunji city, Tokyo. Shigeyuki Tani, director of the Criminal Affairs Bureau at the National Police Agency, addressed the severity of the situation, noting that the recent crimes have “significantly affected the public’s sense of safety.”
Shinji Saito: Japan’s Latest Celebrity Sexual Assault Case
On Monday, investigative sources revealed that Shinji Saito has been referred to prosecutors over allegations of sexually assaulting a woman and performing nonconsensual sexual intercourse on her in a bus at a filming location. Saito, 41, who is a member of the popular comedy trio Jungle Pocket, said, “it was a reckless act that caused trouble for the other party and my own family.” However, he claims it was consensual.
On her Instagram page, Saito’s wife, Saori Seto, defended her husband, stating that “some of the reports are not true” and that “it was not a unilateral act.” The victim, though, said she’ll never forgive the comedian for what he did. Saito was fired by his agency, Yoshimoto Kogyo, who offered its “deepest apologies to the victim and all those involved.” In September, Saito reportedly requested a hiatus due to health issues.
Prime Minister Ishiba Dissolves Lower House for October 27 Election
Japan’s Lower House was dissolved on Wednesday in preparation for the general election, which is set for October 27. Campaigning will begin next Tuesday. It is expected to be a straightforward victory for the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), who remain well ahead in the polls despite the recent slush fund scandal. The dissolution of the house comes just over a week after Shigeru Ishiba was sworn in as prime minister.
“I’ve decided to dissolve the chamber to seek a direct judgment from the public because it is critical that we continue to run the government to protect Japan and its people,” Ishiba said during a one-on-one parliamentary debate with opposition leaders on Wednesday. Former prime minister and leader of the opposition, Fumihiko Noda, suggested Ishiba was dissolving the house to “secure a victory during the honeymoon period,” when new leaders enjoy an initial rise in public support.
JAPAN HEAD COACH HAJIME MORIYASU | IMAGE BY FEELPHOTO/SHUTTERSTOCK
