The father of the victim revealed his anger at the defendant’s evasion of his request to spend even one day in jail.
The prosecution pursued Tanaka’s “excuse”
My daughter has obviously changed since the incident, and I feel that she is under a lot of mental stress. She has been getting sick more and more often and is still going to the hospital. In her daily life, she talks to herself more and more, saying things like ‘stop it,’ and she has trouble sleeping at night more and more days.
On May 30, the second trial was held for Hajime Tanaka, 51, who is accused of indecent assault on a 6-year-old girl. The father of the victim, who appeared in court to give a statement of opinion, described his daughter’s condition after the incident and expressed his anger.
Tanaka was arrested on October 6, 2012 by the Kamata Police Station of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department for touching the breasts of A-chan (then 6 years old) in an apartment complex in Ota Ward, Tokyo. In his first trial on April 18, 2013, Tanaka claimed in response to a defense lawyer’s question that he did not intentionally touch A’s breasts.
I broke into the apartment to enjoy the view from the rooftop. A girl who got on the elevator with me followed me after we got off on the 11th floor. I thought that if I didn’t do anything, my unauthorized entry would be discovered, so I pushed her left shoulder as if to say, ‘Don’t follow me. I pushed her on the left shoulder to tell her not to follow me, and I think my hand may have hit her on the chest.
In response to Tanaka’s claim that he did not commit any indecent acts, the prosecutor asked him a question.
Why did you go out of your way to tell A-chan, ‘I’ll go to the stairs after I get off? To this question, Tanaka replied, “I told the girl that I would go to the rooftop floor.
I was thinking of getting off together on the 11th floor, then going down the stairs and getting back on the elevator, so I said, ‘I’ll go to the stairs after I get off,’ to avoid any suspicion.
Prosecutor: “Did you think that saying, ‘I’ll go to the stairs when I get off’ would not arouse suspicion?”
Tanaka: “I thought it would be difficult to discover the unauthorized entry.
Prosecutor “How did you think A-chan would agree?”
Tanaka: “I don’t know.
Tanaka: “This (crime scene) is an apartment complex where many people live, and many people visit.
Defendant Tanaka: “That may be true. However, she was fidgeting in front of the elevator, looking around, and I thought she looked suspicious.
Isn’t it more suspicious to talk to a little girl?”
Next, regarding Tanaka’s assertion that the statement was untrue, “Why did you make a false excuse (during the interrogation)?” When the prosecutor asked him, “Why did you make false excuses [during the interrogation]?
‘When I was arrested, I couldn’t remember anything about the incident. I repeatedly said, ‘I don’t remember,’ but the police kept accusing me of doing this and that, and I gave false excuses.”
Finally, the judge began to ask questions , “Let me ask you a few questions myself.
The judge said, “Why did you choose this apartment complex for the view?”
Defendant Tanaka: “Because I have been here before; it was about 30 years ago, and I had a beautiful view of the fireworks display in the summer. So I thought I would have a beautiful view.
Judge: “You are always saying that you don’t want your unauthorized entry to be discovered.
Tanaka: “I was concerned about how people around me would look at me. What if they asked me something like, ‘Do you live here? I wondered what would happen if someone asked me something like, “Do you live here?
Finally, when the judge asked , “Did you think that people would be more wary of you if you talked to a little girl?” Tanaka replied, “I think so.
At the second trial, prior to the closing argument, A’s father made a statement of his opinion. He glared at Tanaka, who was sitting in the defendant’s chair, for a moment, and then sat down on the witness stand.
I don’t think the defendant will ever be rehabilitated.
The house we were living in at the time of the incident was close to the crime scene, so we had to move after the incident. The T-shirt my daughter was wearing at the time of the incident was a precious item that held happy memories for her, but because of the incident, she could no longer wear it and had no choice but to discard it.
He then expressed his anger at Tanaka.
I believe that the defendant committed a despicable act against my daughter, who was six years old at the time. However, the defendant has made no apology or remorse in this trial, has continued to make absurd excuses, and has entered a plea of not guilty. I believe that such a defendant will never be rehabilitated, and I hope that he will remain in prison for as long as possible.”
In his closing argument, the prosecutor stated, “While A’s statement is concrete and credible, the defendant’s excuse is unreasonable and unreliable,” and furthermore, “ There is a great fear of recidivism,” and requested a sentence of two years and six months in prison.
The defense counsel argued that the defendant’s statement at the time of his arrest was far from the truth as a result of a spur-of-the-moment false excuse, while his statement at the trial was credible because it sufficiently evoked his memory, and that “the indecent act itself did not exist or lacked intent” and thathe was “not guilty.
In his final statement, Tanaka also stated, “I only held him down to say, ‘Don’t follow me,’ and I never intended to do anything indecent. In her argument, the prosecutor also stated, “Even if she was afraid of being discovered to have trespassed without permission, there is no way that 6-year-old A could have judged the defendant to be trespassing without permission; rather, by talking to A, she made him more suspicious.
Which statement will the judge find more credible, that of victim A or that of defendant Tanaka? The verdict is scheduled to be handed down on June 25.
Interview and text by： Nakahira Ryo
