AOMORI (TR) – “The head priest is very gentle. There is a huge discrepancy between the details of this incident and his usual attitude. I wonder why he committed such a crime,” a resident living near the temple in Mutso City tells Shukan Bunshun (June 19).
The head priest is 46-year-old Yoshiaki Mizuno. On June 5, Aomori Prefectural Police arrested him and police officer Jun Sasaki, 53, over the alleged rape of a girl last year — a development that has surprised residents in the area.
“Sasaki and Mizuno met on an internet bulletin board,” a local newspaper reporter tells Bunshun. “They are suspected of committing indecent acts with the woman, who was a high school student at the time, without her consent in a rental room in Aomori Prefecture last November.”
The following month, the high school girl’s relatives contacted police to report the incident.
“First, Mizuno and the woman met through an app. The day of the crime was the first time the three had met in person. The homes of the two suspects are more than 100 kilometers apart in Aomori, so they likely contacted each other for sexual purposes,” the reporter continues.
Upon their arrests on suspicion of non-consensual sexual intercourse, Sasaki admitted to the charges. However, Mizuno denied the allegations.
“Restore the trust of the people”
Sasaki, an assistant inspector, is a member of the prefectural police headquarters security department mobile unit. By all accounts, he is an exemplary veteran police officer.
“In response, the prefectural police chief apologized at the prefectural police chiefs’ meeting. He said, ‘We take the situation seriously.’ He added, ‘We will do our utmost to restore the trust of the people of the prefecture.’ They are trying to put an end to the fire,” continues the reporter.
Sasaki joined the force in 1996. An investigative source says, “The following year, he won first place in a presentation competition for young employees and participated in the Tohoku competition as a representative of the Aomori Prefectural Police. His recent work attitude has been fine. As well, the day he was arrested was a working day.”
“We don’t have a full grasp of the situation”
Meanwhile, Mizuno is the head priest of the Nichiren Shoshu Hojoji Temple, located in the center of the Shimokita Peninsula. Having gotten married last year, his reputation in the community had been positive since his arrival in 2012.
“There are few parishioners around here,” a local resident tells Bunshun, “but when believers came from far away they could hear the priest beating the taiko drum. The neighbors were not parishioners, but they distributed vegetables as offerings and were very respectful.”
When Bunshun’s reporter visited Hojoji Temple on June 8, there were several cars parked in the large parking lot.
When the reporter rang the intercom, Mizuno’s wife answered. “I’d like to ask you about your husband,” reporter said.
“I can’t talk about that without permission from the Nichiren Shoshu Head Temple,” she said through tears.
“Why did the incident happen?” the reporter further probed.
“We don’t have a full grasp of the situation either, so it’s difficult for me to answer,” she said. “Today we are in the middle of our monthly lecture. I’m sorry that something like that happened right before that.”
The Nichiren Shoshu Head Temple dispatched Mizuno to Mutsu. A public relations officer from Nichiren Shoshu said, “He was appointed to Mutsu by the head priest, and before that he had trained in Tokyo, Saitama, Taiwan, and other places. As the head temple, we recognize that he served diligently. However, the fact that he was arrested should never have happened, and we deeply apologize to the victim. As a priest, I’m very ashamed of this, and we will deal with it strictly.”
