FUKUOKA (TR) – A 49-year-old man last week was sentenced to 15 years in prison for kidnapping, drugging and sexually assaulting a 17-year-old high school girl he lured off the street with a fake survey, reports Nippon News Network (June 19).
On June 19, the Fukuoka District Court’s Kokura Branch handed down the ruling to Satoshi Tachibana, an unemployed man of no fixed address, for abduction for lewd purposes, sexual assault without consent and other crimes. The prosecution had sought an 18-year term.
According to the indictment, the incident took place in April of last year. Tachibana approached the victim — whom he had never met — on a street in the prefecture, offering her 10,000 yen if she agreed to answer a questionnaire. He then abducted the teenager in his vehicle.
The court heard that Tachibana first forced the girl into a multipurpose toilet at a supermarket, where he committed an indecent act. He later took her to a hotel, injected her with kakuseizai (methamphetamine), and sexually assaulted her, causing physical injuries.
During the trial, Tachibana partially denied the charges. Attempting to argue that the acts were consensual, he claimed that the victim “was in a position where she could freely use her mobile phone, but she did not call for help.”
Prosecutors dismissed his claims as “absurd excuses” and sought an 18-year prison term, condemning him for showing absolutely zero remorse. They emphasized that administering illicit drugs to a minor could inflict severe physical and mental damage, labeling the case as exceptionally malicious among similar crimes.
In delivering the 15-year sentence, Presiding judge Jumpei Miyoshi slammed the defendant’s actions.
“This was an extremely selfish crime committed solely to satisfy his own desires, with completely no regard for the victim’s dignity or her future,” Judge Miyoshi said. “The method used to deceive the victim was cunning. It was a despicable crime that preyed on her immature judgment, making it particularly malicious even among sex offenses.”
