The Stalker Who Stabbed His Ex-Girlfriend Blaming the Crime to the Victim

However, from the beginning of their relationship, defendant Terauchi was very restrained.

“Terauchi seems to be a jealous person. He always suspected Ms. Kawano of cheating on him and had her use a smartphone application that showed her location. He also took her smartphone away from her, which caused the relationship to deteriorate, and we hear that Ms. Kawano told him she was breaking up with him last fall. Ms. Kawano told people around her that she was afraid of him because he was too restrictive,” said another reporter from a national newspaper.

Even after the dissolution of the relationship, Terauchi persistently followed Ms. Kawano around. In October of last year, Ms. Kawano consulted the police, asking for a warning, and in November Terauchi began to appear at her workplace, prompting the police to issue an emergency ban under the Stalking Control Law.

In response to the police warning, Terauchi told the police that he would not approach her anymore, but she was not convinced. After that, he persistently contacted Ms. Kawano. When the relationship was ended, the suspect’s resentment grew, and he is believed to have committed this crime.

According to the National Police Agency, the number of emergency restraining orders issued to Terauchi jumped from 173 in 2016 to 1,671 in 2021. The number of stalker consultations reached 20,000 cases. Ms. Kawano lost her life due to the recrimination of Terauchi. She would have celebrated her 39th birthday on January 18, the day Terauchi was arrested.

After his arrest, Terauchi told him that “the other party was at fault, too,” and did not offer any apologies.