A Chilling Case of Exploitation — and the Prosecutor Who Refused to Stay Silent

He claimed that they were in a romantic relationship

“The defendant is older than me. He’s a man over 40 with a family, and I cannot comprehend how such a person could feel sexual desire toward a 15-year-old he met on social media. Seeing a child as a sexual object is abnormal — it’s utterly disgusting. I despise the defendant for engaging in sexual acts with a child who was immature and incapable of making sound judgments.”

These were part of the victim’s mother’s statement, read aloud by a relative during the third hearing on September 25at the Chiba District Court, in the trial of Jun Suminaka (41). He is accused of abducting a minor and committing non-consensual sexual acts against a high school girl, referred to as A, whom he kept with him for four days. The verdict is scheduled to be delivered on October 27.

The case began in early April 2025, when Suminaka and A met through a chat app. Their interactions over social mediabecame increasingly close, and when A expressed suicidal thoughts, Suminaka allegedly replied, “Let’s die together.” In court, he claimed, “I was in a romantic relationship with A.”

On the morning of May 13, while speaking via a LINE call that had remained connected, A said things like “I can’t take it anymore, I want to die.” Suminaka responded, “I can’t wait any longer. I’ll throw everything away and come see you.” He then called in sick to work and immediately took a bullet train to Akihabara Station, where the two met.

He then took her with him to Sendai and Aomori, and on May 15, at Jogakura Bridge in Aomori City, he attempted a double suicide. When A said she was scared, he gave up the plan, and they spent the night at a hotel instead. The next day, May 16, police found and arrested them together in Aomori City.

During that time, he allegedly engaged in sexual acts with A and has been charged with abduction of a minor and non-consensual sexual intercourse.

In her police questioning, A explained the reason she ran away from home:

“I was feeling overwhelmed by all the school reports I had to do, and then my parents scolded me, saying, ‘If you’re just sitting around at home looking bored, why don’t you get a part-time job?’ That made me want to leave.”

The feelings of a mother worried about her daughter

In her victim impact statement, the mother expressed the deep worry she had felt for her daughter:

“As her parents, we knew our daughter was struggling — adjusting to a new environment, having trouble making friends. She started spending all day on her smartphone, and my husband and I felt something was wrong. She’d say she was working on her school reports, but we could tell she was talking to someone, so we warned her about it. Just as we were thinking she needed something else to focus on, this incident happened.”

A relative, reading the statement aloud in court — sometimes through tears — continued:

“While my daughter was missing, I couldn’t stop worrying: Was she alive? Was she eating? Was she sleeping? Was she suffering? I cried every single day. I wish the defendant, who is also a parent, could understand how unbearable it is when your child suddenly disappears.”

The statement concluded with these words:

“In September, through his lawyer, we received an offer of restitution for damages, but we cannot possibly accept it at this time. I strongly ask that he be given a prison sentence.”

During the prosecutor’s closing argument, the crime was described as a vile act that preyed upon the victim’s fragile mental state.

“The defendant claims he engaged in sexual activity because he was in a romantic relationship with the victim,” the prosecutor stated, “but it is extremely hard to believe that a man in his 40s and a girl in her mid-teens could truly be in such a relationship.”

The prosecutor also condemned Suminaka’s complete failure to use contraception.

The victim’s side was not the only one deeply scarred by the incident

“When the defendant engaged in sexual intercourse with the victim, she asked him to use protection, but he refused, using their planned suicide as an excuse. Even after the victim abandoned the idea of killing herself, he continued to have intercourse without contraception. It is clear that his true intent was simply to have unprotected sex.”

With those words, the prosecutor demanded a six-year prison sentence, citing the need both to make him atone and to prevent reoffending.

The defense, meanwhile, argued:

“The defendant acted out of what he believed to be a sincere romantic feeling—so strong that he was willing to give up his family and his job. This was not merely an act of lust. While his divorce from his wife is inevitable, he plans to live with his relatives and work in a job they will help him find. Therefore, a lenient sentence would be appropriate.”

In his final statement, Jun Suminaka said:

“Through my irresponsible and selfish actions, I have hurt many people and caused tremendous trouble. I am truly sorry.”

Immediately after his arrest, Suminaka had told police, “I don’t want to deny the four days I spent with A. I have no regrets.” But after time spent alone in his detention cell, he reportedly came to realize:

“By saying, ‘Let’s die together,’ I may have intensified A’s suicidal thoughts.”

Meanwhile, while Suminaka was reflecting in isolation, it was his wife and relatives who worked to compensate the victim and handle the aftermath of the case.

Through his selfishness, Suminaka not only hurt the victim and her family, but also deeply wounded his own family. The question now is: what sentence will the court hand down?

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