<h2></h2>
<figure id="attachment_396649" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 4000px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-396649"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="685dbc23"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/10/24b5e0acb609a6cd9c5a605d8647e902.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-396649" class="wp-caption-text">Funabashi Police Station of Chiba Prefectural Police arrested Sato</figcaption></figure>
<h2>Showed up at the victim&#8217;s workplace &#8230;&#8230;</h2>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> I really wanted to see his face.</span></p>
<p>The suspect, Ayano Sato, 52, was arrested by the Funabashi Police Station of the Chiba Prefectural Police on October 15 on suspicion of violating the Stalker Regulation Law.</p>
<p>Sato is suspected of stalking Mr. A, a former co-worker in his 30s at a supermarket where he used to work.</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> Between September 17 and 29, the suspect came to the supermarket on Ms. A&#8217;s workdays and gawked at her, not necessarily shopping. The Sato suspect had already received three warnings for following Ms. A.&#8221; (reporter from the society section of a national newspaper)</span></p>
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<p>Sato&#8217;s stalking began in May 2010. The police, who were consulted by Ms. A, issued a warning, which calmed things down, but a year later, in May 2011, the suspect contacted Ms. A on SNS and by letter, asking her to meet him and to go out with him. Again, the police gave him another warning, and the situation was settled.</p>
<p>However, another year passed, and in July of this year, the Sato suspect began showing up frequently at the supermarket where Ms. A worked. Ms. A felt &#8220;uncomfortable&#8221; and consulted the police. She was warned for the third time that she was being stalked.</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> The third warning was given to Mr. A. &#8220;A warning does not end with a verbal warning,&#8221; said Mr. A. &#8220;It&#8217;s not enough to say, &#8216;You can&#8217;t do this. We use a leaflet to explain to them that this is stalking, and they have to sign it after they are satisfied with the explanation. In the past, warnings were given only once a year, but this time they were given in July and September. This time, however, they continued in July and September, and we decided to arrest them because of their maliciousness.</span></p>
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<div data-friday-nextpage-lead="A neighbor's view of the arrest"></div>
<figure id="attachment_396650" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 4000px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-396650"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="95b5f3aa"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/10/0e9c39a096ba504c5680db8d773dbd24.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-396650" class="wp-caption-text">Police warned him three times.</figcaption></figure>
<h2>One witness said, &#8220;He was an affable person.&#8221;</h2>
<p>A man who lives near the apartment where Sato lives confided that at the time of his arrest, &#8220;I heard a woman&#8217;s voice saying, &#8216;Please wait,&#8217; or &#8216;Help me.</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> Around 8:00 a.m., I heard a woman&#8217;s voice saying, &#8216;Please wait,&#8217; or &#8216;Help me. As I listened to what was going on, I heard the voices of several men and women. Another woman was speaking to me as if admonishing me repeatedly, saying, &#8216;Mr. Sato, please calm down.</span></p>
<p>The suspect Sato had been a cashier at another supermarket before his arrest. A customer who has used the store many times testified about her surprising true face.</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> He was an affable person who would talk to me while I was working the register, saying things like, &#8216;This is cheap,&#8217; or &#8216;This is a good deal. When I bought something heavy, he even went out of his way to bring it to me outside the store.</span></p>
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<p>On the other hand, a man who lived in the same apartment as Sato saw &#8220;another face.</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> She&#8217;s kind of a mysterious woman,&#8221; he said. When I greeted her, she only glanced at me. （I happened to be nearby when she opened the door to go out, but when she saw me, she closed the door with a bang and retreated into her room. Anyway, he had a very strong aura of not wanting me to talk to him.</span></p>
<p>A former reporter from the social affairs section said, &#8220;He said, &#8216;I have feelings of love for Mr. A.&#8217;</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> I couldn&#8217;t suppress my feelings for Ms. A, so I went to the store because I really wanted to see her working there,&#8221; said Sato. On the other hand, he also said, &#8220;How can I be arrested for something like this?</span></p>
<p>Even after being arrested, I wonder if he still thinks, &#8220;I can&#8217;t help it because I like her.&#8221; &#8230;&#8230;</p>
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 The Funabashi Police Station of the Chiba Prefectural Police arrested Fumino Sato, 52, for stalking a male colleague at a supermarket where she used to work. The "horrifying statement" made by the suspect Sato is available at .......

52-Year-Old Ex-Supermarket Worker Arrested for Stalking Former Colleague: Chilling Confession

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