KANAGAWA (TR) – Kanagawa Prefectural Police have arrested a 35-year-old man for allegedly taking advantage of romantic feelings a woman had for him in order to defraud her out of nearly 1 million yen, reports Nippon News Network (Oct. 23)
In 2023, Junichi Kimata allegedly defrauded the woman, a teacher aged in her 50s and living in Sagamihara City, out of of approximately 940,000 yen by lying to her, telling her that he had cancer and no money.
During questioning, Kimata, who lives in Gifu Prefecture, admitted to the charges. “I wanted money to indulge in luxuries that I wouldn’t normally be able to afford,” he said.
Kimata and the woman communicated on a flea market app and never met in person. However, as they continued to communicate, Kimata realized that she had romantic feelings for him and began sending her messages asking for money for surgery and other expenses.
