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Niigata cops: ASDF member molested woman in karaoke parlor

Niigata police have accused an ASDF sergeant of molesting a woman in a karaoke room in March
Niigata police have accused an ASDF sergeant of molesting a woman in a karaoke room in March

NIIGATA (TR) – Niigata Prefectural Police have arrested an Air Self-Defense Force (ASDF) member for molesting a woman inside a karaoke parlor in Niigata City earlier this year, reports Nikkan Sports (July 5).

In the early morning hours of March 26, Akinori Tateishi, a sergeant stationed at the Niigata Air Base, allegedly pinned down the arms of the woman, aged in her 20s, inside a private room of the parlor, located in Chuo Ward, and fondled her body, resulting in minor injuries.

Tateishi, who has been charged with indecent assault, denies the allegations. “It was consensual,” the sergeant told the Niigata Higashi Police Station, “and it was not excessive.”

The officer was off-duty at the time. Prior to the incident, he called out to the woman in the street before taking her to the nearby parlor.

“It is regrettable that a member was arrested,” a representative of the Niigata Air Base was quoted. “If the allegations in the case are true, we will deal with the matter strictly.”