42-year-old Defendant Who Harassed a 19-Year-Old Woman Told of His “Motive”
“That night, I found her as I was pushing my bicycle to sleep on a bank somewhere. At that time I had no place to live, no food or drink. I was desperate and I didn’t care if I would die or be caught. I decided to attack her and followed her.”
On November 15, 2022, the Kameari Police Station of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department arrested Riki Miyajima, 42, an unemployed man of unknown residence, on suspicion of indecent assault. He had only 8 yen in his possession at the time of arrest.
The jury trial for Miyajima was held at the Tokyo District Court on September 20, 2023.
Miyajima was riding his bicycle when he happened to see Ms. A on her way home at around midnight on November 15. He followed her for about 15 minutes, trying to indecently assault her in a deserted place, and when she entered an apartment, he suddenly hugged her from behind. He covered her mouth with a hand towel held in his left hand, and then used the tip of a 1,000-ply threader held in his right hand to inflict an injury on her left cheek that would take about a week to heal. After that, he touched Ms. A’s chest and tried to escape.
In an interview with the police, Ms. A described the terror she felt when she was suddenly hugged from behind.
“On that day, I was walking slowly toward my house, listening to music on my earphones. As I was climbing the stairs at the entrance to my apartment, I suddenly realized that there was someone behind me. As I was about to turn around, I was suddenly held by a cloth-like object over my mouth and hugged. I managed to shift my face from the cloth-like object by shaking my face from side to side in an attempt to call for help. After three or four more times of screaming, I was grabbed by my breasts from over my clothes.”
After touching Ms. A’s breasts, Miyajima fled the scene.
However, Ms. A said, “If I let him go here, I will have to be frightened of the criminal in the future. I don’t want to do that,” gathering up her courage and chasing after Miyajima. He stood in front of Miyajima, who was about to mount his bicycle, and grabbed the front basket. It was then that he realized that he had seen the attacker from the front for the first time and that he was holding a pointed weapon. When she grabbed Miyajima’s backpack as he tried to run away, a man in the neighborhood heard Ms. A’s screams and rushed to the scene, calling 110.
Ms. A revealed that she did not realize that her face was injured until her family said so, “I was so frantic that I didn’t even have time to feel the pain,” Ms. A said.
Miyajima was caught red-handed on the spot, but this was not the only crime he committed.
He had been arrested on suspicion of two counts of indecent assault, including hugging and groping a passing woman, and was convicted in May 2022 of three years in prison, suspended for four years. He was released from prison, and less than six months later, he had another incident.
Miyajima, who had always had difficulty communicating with others, was said to have had many relationship problems and had moved from job to job. He was married and had a child.
“At the time, I worked hard for the sake of my family and was envied by my colleagues,” Miyajima said.
However, even at that workplace, he quit his job due to trouble with his boss.
After his release, Miyajima received public assistance in Chiba City and entered an institution. However, at the end of September, he left the facility without permission.
When asked by the prosecutor why he left the facility without permission, he replied, “Since July, I have touched a woman in passing, more than 10 times. I fell while running away and my bicycle light fell off, so I ran away in case the police might pick it up and come to the facility,” he said, revealing that he had been repeatedly molesting women less than two months after his release.
After leaving the facility, he slept in Internet cafes, and when he ran out of money, he slept in parks and under bridges. Once, in an attempt to become a “punching bag,” he went to a 100-yen store and bought paper, a pen, and 1,000 sheets of paper to make a placard, but he threw it away. He admitted that he carried the pen and paper with him and used it to threaten the woman in this crime.
In his closing argument on September 21, the prosecutor stated, “Despite being given a chance to rehabilitate himself within society, he committed the crime again in less than six months. In this case, the defendant has become more vicious, injuring the victim,” and asked for six years in prison.
On the other hand, the defense attorney said, “He committed indecent acts only for a very short time. He also caused the woman emotional distress and injury, but fortunately it was only an abrasion of about one week.” He pointed out that Miyajima’s brother promised to support his rehabilitation and that reading in the detention center made Miyajima realize that he might be a sex addict. He stated, “A sentence of three years in prison is appropriate for Mr. Miyajima, whose likelihood of reoffending has become infinitely low.”
Then, on September 26, Judge Jun Shimado handed down a sentence of four years and six months in prison, saying, “Considering his previous convictions, this is a rather serious sentence among similar cases.” And since he did not appeal by October 11, his sentence is now final.
He will now serve seven years and six months, with the previous three years added to his sentence. He said that his brother, whom he had not known for more than 10 years, came to visit him after his arrest.
In his final statement, he said, “I was not alone. I want to face up to my crime and start over with a clean slate so as not to betray the expectations of those around me.”
Miyajima said, “When you lose all relationships with people, you feel liberated. Will Miyajima ever be able to forget it?
Interview and text： Nakahira Photo： Shinji Hasuo
