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Saitama Man Arrested for Obscenity Claims He Was Imitating Dōjin Manga
posted on by Rafael Antonio Pineda
Saitama prefectural police arrested 35-year-old Yūya Yazaki on Monday on charges of obscenity. In his deposition, the suspect wrote that he was "imitating an adult dōjin manga." Police then appealed to the author of the dōjin manga to use consideration in drawing works that might be imitated in crimes.
Police arrested the man at his home in Sōka city, Saitama prefecture after the mother of a middle school student reported to authorities that a man had been following her daughter and called out to her.
Yazaki had been arrested in Sōka city before on January 8, 2016 for alleged sexual assault against a minor. According to prefectural police, the suspect had allegedly posed as an inspector checking for radioactive contamination in order to coerce the victim into letting him into her house. Once inside, he allegedly stated that he needed to physically check the victim's body. He then threatened the victim with violence if she didn't remain quiet. Police stated that he was also arrested again for a separate obscenity charge in April. Police are investigating the possibility that Yazaki may be the suspect for as many as 20 different sexual assault incidents against minors of elementary and middle school age that occurred from May 2014 to March of this year.
Police noted that Yazaki imitated a scenario depicted in an adult dōjin manga by an illustrator who lives in Tokyo. Police claimed that the manga contained a similar story of an inspector checking for radioactive contamination as a pretext to sexually assault a character. Police claimed that Yazaki may have used this modus operandi in eight separate incidents.
Police later contacted the illustrator to inform him about the incident, and told him to exercise consideration in creating stories that could be imitated to commit crimes. According to police, the illustrator was shocked at the incident and acknowledged their appeal.
According to a source close to the investigation, the police are considering sending similar appeals to creators when crimes imitating their stories occur again.
Source: The Mainichi Shimbun (中川友希, 遠藤大志), Saitama Shimbun via Hachima Kikō
