TOKYO (TR) – Tokyo Metropolitan Police on Saturday announced the arrest of a Ministry of Defense employee for the alleged molestation of a school girl, reports the Mainichi Shimbun (July 11).
On July 8 at approximately 8:00 a.m., Yasuhiro Okada, a 49-year-old chief in the personal affairs division, allegedly fondled the lower half of the body of the girl, an elementary school student, inside a train car on the JR Chuo Line in Shinjuku Ward as he commuted to work.
According to the Yotsuya Police Station, another male passenger in the same train car apprehended Okada. An investigation is underway to determine the likelihood that the suspect molested the same girl on multiple occasions previously.
Okada, who has been charged with sexual assault, has reportedly denied the allegations.
“It is highly regrettable that a current section chief was arrested for sexual assault,” said a representative of the Ministry. “After checking the facts of the case, we will respond appropriately.”