KYOTO (TR) – Kyoto Prefectural Police on Tuesday arrested a hostess for allegedly receiving cash payments as a part of a claimed marriage requirement while already having a husband, reports the Sankei Shimbun (Mar. 1).
Over a three-month period ending in August of 2012, Rie Ishimaru, 26, deceived a 49-year-old man living in Kobe’s Nada Ward into giving her a total of two million yen as requisite for their future marriage. She claimed that the payments were necessary due to a request by her parents that she “marry a rich man to pay off their debts.”
In June of 2009, the victim met the suspect, a resident of Kyoto’s Fushimi Ward, at the “snack” hostess club in Kobe where she worked. He was her customer. They then started a relationship.
Ishimaru married to a Korean national in March of 2012. The marriage ended in September of the following year.
But the victim also provided cash to Ishimaru when she wasn’t married. Between January of 2011 and February of the following year, the victim made 11 million yen in payments to the Ishimaru.
According to Fuji News Network (Mar. 4), six million yen of the latter amount was said to be needed for repairs to a home “that they would share together in the future.” She claimed that another five million yen earmarked for overseas study in Korea.
In December of 2014, the victim was victorious in the Kobe District Court in a suit that sought repayment of 13 million yen from Ishimaru, who has yet to comply with an order to return the funds.
In January of last year, the victim filed a formal complaint with the police regarding the alleged criminal behavior of Ishimaru.
