FUKUI (TR) – Police have arrested a 26-year-old former monk for allegedly groping a high school girl during a school retreat at Daihonzan Eiheiji Temple, reports Fukui TV (May 19).
Kenji Nanba, an unemployed resident of Naka City, Ibaraki Prefecture, is accused of touching the teenage girl over her clothes at approximately 8:40 p.m. on July 8, 2025. At the time of the incident, Nanba was residing at the prominent Buddhist temple as a monk undergoing ascetic training.
Upon his arrest on suspicion of non-consensual indecency, Nanba admitted to the allegations.
The incident came to light during the summer of 2025 when 14 female high school students, who were visiting the temple from outside the prefecture for a training program, complained to staff that the monk had touched their buttocks and engaged in other inappropriate behavior.
Following the mass complaints, the temple promptly expelled Nanba from the order and handed over security camera footage to investigators. Police are continuing to grill the suspect as they look into additional assaults against the other students.
