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Fukuoka trio accused in waffle shop gang rape

Kensuke Arai
Kensuke Arai
It was just midnight at waffle shop Tamago.NY in Fukuoka when employee Kenyu Arata assured a female customer that she need not hurry off due to closing time approaching.

“It’s still ok,” he told her.

According to Nikkan Gendai (Nov. 11), likely no less truer words had ever been uttered to the 25-year-old as she soon became the victim of a true act of barbarism.

A few hours before, Arata, 33, had met the woman at a family restaurant neighboring the shop in the Tenjin district and invited her over for a meal. Once inside, she was not permitted to leave. The shop’s lights were then dimmed and the security shutter lowered. She was subsequently sexually abused in turns by Arata and Yuji Imuta, who is also 33 years of age.

“After being raped for 40 minutes, the victim, in tears, was able to flee,” an investigator tells Nikkan Gendai. “However, Arata pursued and caught up with her. He then forcefully dragged her to a local love hotel. Seemingly still full of desire, he then continued to rape her at the hotel.”

Fukuoka Prefectural Police on Saturday charged Arata and Imuta with gang rape. Also arrested was Yasunori Hakataya, the 34-year-old manager of the company of that owns the shop, who charged with obstruction of justice for lying about having met Imuta previously.

Hakataya Waffles
Hakataya Foods
Arata, who also faces solo rape charges, has a criminal past. According to the same investigator, he and his girlfriend were arrested for marijuana possession at their apartment about three years ago.

Hakataya is the president of Hakataya Foods, which operates two outlets in Fukuoka that specialize in waffle and egg dishes. The company also sells its products online.

“The site Fukuoka Presidents.tv featured him as an up-and-coming businessman,” says the investigator. (The entry, however, has since been removed.)

Hakataya married this past July.

“His future seemed bright,” continues the investigator, “but, with the arrests, now it’s in tatters.” (K.N.)

Source: “Fukuoka waffuru-ten de shudan gokan taiho sa reta kichiku-tachi no zenreki,” Nikkan Gendai (Nov. 11, page 3)