HYOGO (TR) – Hyogo Prefectural Police have arrested a sergeant stationed in Himeji City for allegedly molesting a teenage girl inside a JR West train, reports the Sankei Shimbun (Mar. 28).
Between 8:50 p.m. and 9:25 p.m. on Monday, Yoshitaka Inoue, a 36-year-old detective at the Shikama Police Station, allegedly kissed the girl, 17, and touched her back and chest inside the train as it traveled between Himeji and Banshu-Ako stations.
Prior to the incident, Inoue had been drinking for a two-hour period at an izakaya restaurant with a colleague in Himeji. The suspect, who has been accused of indecent assault, admit to the allegations.
In committing the alleged crime, the suspect sat down next to the girl, a second-year high school student, after the boarding the train and said, “You are so cute. I am a police officer.” He then passed the girl his mobile phone number. After exiting the train at Banshu-Ako Station, the girl reported the incident to a police station.
Yoshiro Kurano, a supervisor with the Hyogo Prefectural Police, described the incident as “truly regrettable,” according to NHK (Mar. 28).
