A man who attacked a young woman a few months after he was released from prison glared at her with a fearless stare.

The two men met in prison, were released at the same time, and committed the crime

As the man emerges from the police building, he is surrounded by a larger than usual number of police officers. The man glared fearlessly at the press through glasses with blue lenses. After that, until the man got into the convoy, the police officers seemed to be watching his movements closely – and they were watching him closely. From this appearance, it was easy to understand that the man was a suspect in an important case.

By April 21, Kanagawa Prefectural Police arrested Ken Murakami, 45, and the man in the photo, Yukio Kaji, 41, for assaulting the woman and taking her cash.

According to the police, the two men entered an apartment in Kanagawa-ku, Yokohama this month from the balcony. They showed a knife-like object to a female office worker in her 20s who was returning home, and beat her with their fists, injuring her. He was then arrested on suspicion of robbing her purse and other items. On the same day, there were several burglaries in the prefecture, and after analyzing security cameras in the investigation, both suspects surfaced; an arrest warrant was requested on April 7, and they were wanted nationwide.

This alone is enough to terrify local residents, but what shocks the public even more is the criminal history of the two suspects and the circumstances that led to their complicity, which was revealed after their arrest.

According to investigators, the suspect Kaji had committed similar crimes in the past. He broke into a woman’s home, sexually assaulted her at knifepoint, robbed her of her cash card and other items, and arrested her for robbery and robbery-rape. He was sentenced to 18 years in prison.

Meanwhile, Murakami was also arrested on charges of rape and attempted rape of multiple women and robbery and rape in the past, and sentenced to 19 years in prison.

The two men apparently met at Yamagata Prison (Yamagata City), where they served their sentences. Both were released from prison this year after having their sentences commuted as model prisoners. After that, they were employed by the same company in Tokyo, but both have been missing since March.

He should be thoroughly monitored even after his release.

The report has prompted a number of comments on social networking sites, including: “He should not have been released for life,” “This time he will definitely be imprisoned for life,” “This is proof that prison rehabilitation programs are not functioning at all,” “The model prison system should be abolished,” and “If violent offenders are allowed to be released on parole, they should be fitted with GPS or other devices. If parole is to be granted to violent offenders, they should be fitted with GPS and other equipment. This is a sign of the impact this case has had on the public, but former Kanagawa Prefectural Police detective and crime journalist Taihei Ogawa has the following to say.

Since they were both model prisoners, I think it is highly likely that they were pretending all along in order to speed up their release from prison. The fact that they were both employed at the same place of employment after their release also seems intentional. When a person is released from prison on parole, he or she enters a support facility and interviews with companies that will accept him or her after release, but not many companies will accept a person who has committed a sex crime in the past.

Not many companies will accept a person who has committed sex crimes in the past. Nevertheless, the company must have seen their attitude and decided that they would be okay, because they were accepted. I heard that they were model prisoners, but I don’t agree with the opinion that the model prison system should be abolished. There are many former “model prisoners” who have been rehabilitated and are working diligently.

What about surveillance systems such as GPS?

GPS is absolutely necessary. “GPS is absolutely necessary because it is a deterrent to prevent recidivism, even before we know who the released person is. In South Korea, for example, there is a system in which convicted sex offenders and stalkers who are considered to be at high risk of re-offending are fitted with electronic anklets with GPS. As a result, the recidivism rate has been reduced by one-ninth, according to data.

When they get out of prison, everyone says, ‘I will never do it,’ or ‘I will work diligently for the rest of my life. You can’t see through that as a lie. That is why, at the very least, people convicted of sex crimes, murder, attempted murder, and other crimes should be fitted with GPS and thoroughly monitored. That’s what I think needs to happen.”

The two suspects have admitted to the investigation, saying “There is no doubt about it,” but the police are investigating the connection, believing that they may have been involved in multiple thefts in Kanagawa Prefecture prior to this incident.