“I Don’t Think It’s Wrong” says a 20-Year-Old Man Defends Alleged Sexual Assault of Two Minors at Karaoke Venue

“I don’t think it’s bad to hang out with elementary school students.”

A man who allegedly sexually assaulted two teenage girls reportedly told police:

By June 5, the Shinjuku Station of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department had arrested Rin Ishiseki, a 20-year-old part-time worker living in Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture, on suspicion of non-consensual sexual intercourse. He allegedly committed an obscene act on two girls he met through an online game, a third-year junior high school student and a fifth-grade elementary school student.

“The incident occurred between 9:30 a.m. and noon on March 20 this year. On the day of the incident, the suspect Ishiseki called the two people and took them to a karaoke parlor in Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo.

To Mr. A, who was operating a smartphone in the store, the suspect Ishiseki punched him in the stomach by saying, ‘I don’t like people who touch smartphones.’ He was also handcuffed, restrained and allegedly sexually assaulted. Later, Ms. A told the police that she had been sexually assaulted, and the involvement of the suspect Ishiseki emerged from the security camera footage.”

“Because age doesn’t matter in a relationship.”

The arrested suspect, Ishizaki, while admitting to the crime, is reportedly making the following absurd claim.

“I was playing online games because I wanted to get a girlfriend. I mainly used group chat for casual conversations. I thought I was in a relationship with both A and B. I don’t think age matters in a relationship, so I don’t think it’s wrong to date an elementary school student.”

Our magazine’s photographer captured the transfer of the Ishizaki suspect on June 5th. The suspect, with long hair hanging down and head bowed, made it impossible to discern their expression.

Former Kanagawa Prefectural Police detective and crime journalist, Mr. Taihei Ogawa, provides commentary.

“Online games have chat functions, so it’s true that when you play while chatting, you can easily get the illusion that you’ve become friends. This can lead to a decrease in wariness towards others. There is also the risk of responding to invitations from people you only know through the game.

The suspect seems to have shown premeditation by preparing handcuffs in advance. Their statements are also contradictory. If they were truly in a relationship, would they restrain their partner with handcuffs and then commit sexual assault? They likely approached the girls with criminal intent from the very beginning.”

The police are proceeding with the investigation, believing that the suspect Ishizaki has additional crimes.