HYOGO –
A 16-year-old woman who repeatedly insisted she was harmless died months after an 18-day detention and interrogation left her affected by an consuming dysfunction and extreme psychological trauma, whereas different individuals have come ahead alleging troubling investigative practices by the identical police station.
The woman, recognized as Luna, weighed solely about 20 kilograms earlier than her loss of life.
Her mom mentioned Luna had persistently denied the allegations towards her. “She kept saying, ‘I didn’t do it. I didn’t do it,'” she mentioned. “I cannot understand why the police were unable to reach the truth.”
Luna grew up in a household that operated a help facility for individuals with disabilities. After graduating from junior highschool, she started working there as a employees member and had obtained {qualifications} permitting her to look after individuals with extreme disabilities.
Her household mentioned she had thought of learning to change into an authorized care employee however most popular gaining sensible expertise. She had additionally spoken about finally taking up from her mom as head of the group.
The case started in February 2025 throughout a Valentine’s Day occasion on the facility. Luna intervened when one resident bit one other individual, however a unique resident later reported the incident to municipal authorities as abuse.
Police arrested Luna and a male employees member in June 2025 on suspicion of assault.
During questioning, investigators repeatedly requested Luna whether or not she had struck a resident on the jaw a number of occasions and instructed her that she had actually executed it, in accordance with her household.
Luna continued to disclaim the allegation. Notes she wrote whereas in detention contained messages together with, “I love you, Mom,” “I want to see you soon,” and “I want to be free.”
During the 18 days she was held, Luna developed an consuming dysfunction and her weight fell sharply.
She and the male employees member have been finally launched with out indictment. Luna was subsequently identified with post-traumatic stress dysfunction.
Her bodily situation continued to deteriorate after her launch. According to her mom, Luna turned so weak that she required a wheelchair and struggled to retain meals.
Five months after her launch, Luna out of the blue misplaced consciousness. Her mom believes the acute bodily pressure she suffered might have positioned a heavy burden on her coronary heart.
Her mom mentioned Luna had nonetheless been speaking and consuming till the day earlier than she died.
The household has filed a civil lawsuit searching for to carry police and prosecutors accountable and has additionally filed a prison grievance.
Other individuals have since described experiences involving Akashi Police Station that they are saying increase comparable issues.
Hiroaki Kinoshita, a vocational faculty teacher who had lately moved from Kyushu to Kobe, was arrested in July 2025 after narcotics mailed from the United States have been intercepted at Kansai International Airport.
A suspicious black field resembling a supply field had appeared outdoors his dwelling, whereas a sticker bearing the surname Takahashi had been positioned on his mailbox. Kinoshita mentioned he had left each untouched.
He was engaged on his laptop at dwelling when police out of the blue arrived, ordered him to not transfer and started looking out the property.
Investigators suspected medicine had been despatched to his handle. Kinoshita mentioned the title on the parcel shared the identical given title, Hiroaki, as his.
Kinoshita denied any involvement. He mentioned investigators warned him about mendacity, whereas he turned more and more afraid that medicine might have been planted at his dwelling and that he is likely to be convicted regardless of having executed nothing.
He was detained for 17 days and questioned about issues together with his data of medication and abroad journey. He mentioned the questioning later largely become informal dialog.
Kinoshita mentioned he was finally summoned to a different room with out warning, proven paperwork indicating his launch and instructed he might go away.
Several weeks later, prosecutors knowledgeable him that the case wouldn’t proceed due to inadequate proof. Kinoshita mentioned neither police nor prosecutors acknowledged that he had been mistakenly arrested.
Another case concerned a woman who was within the sixth grade when she was questioned at Akashi Police Station in February 2025.
The woman was separated from her mom and questioned alone over an allegation involving inappropriate bodily contact with a male classmate.
She mentioned she turned so anxious throughout questioning that she started questioning whether or not one thing had occurred that she merely couldn’t bear in mind, though she had no recollection of committing the alleged act.
Investigators have been inspecting an allegation that a number of ladies had touched the boy’s genitals.
The woman mentioned she was instructed to write down down what she had executed. She defined that whereas she had no consciousness of touching the boy’s decrease physique, she thought she would possibly presumably have made unintended contact.
According to the woman, a feminine police officer instructed her that hitting and touching have been successfully the identical and instructed her to write down that she had touched him.
The woman mentioned she believed she had made a hitting or tapping movement as a part of play, however the officer repeatedly characterised it as touching.
The questioning continued for about three and a half hours into the night.
Police additionally took six pictures of the woman, together with photos of her face and physique, in a fashion resembling suspect pictures. National Police Agency steering prohibits such images of minors with out parental consent.
The woman mentioned she tried to not cry as a result of she felt that crying would imply shedding. She later puzzled whether or not suppressing her feelings might have made investigators extra suspicious.
Her mom initially doubted her daughter’s account, however after the household attended a free authorized session, she realized that a number of the police conduct might have been inappropriate.
The household later got here to consider there was an growing chance that the alleged inappropriate contact itself had by no means occurred.
The mom requested police to apologize to the three ladies who had been questioned, however mentioned authorities declined to take action.
Scrutiny has additionally centered on prosecutors concerned in Luna’s case.
A prosecutor on the Kobe District Public Prosecutors Office sought and obtained two extensions of Luna’s detention, though a courtroom had rejected an earlier request, in accordance with the report.
A lawyer representing Luna’s mom mentioned investigators appeared to have centered on a single idea whereas failing to adequately take into account different circumstances or proof.
When the lawyer sought disclosure of the explanation Luna had in the end not been indicted, prosecutors declined to offer particulars, saying solely that varied circumstances had been considered.
Hyogo Prefectural Police declined to touch upon particulars of particular person investigations, saying its place concerning Luna’s case can be offered in courtroom.
Prosecutors expressed condolences over Luna’s loss of life but in addition declined to remark, saying the matter involved particulars of a person investigation.
After Luna died, her household obtained a letter from the power resident who had initially reported the alleged abuse.
The author admitted exaggerating what had occurred and reporting the incident as abuse regardless of not figuring out whether or not abuse had truly occurred.
“I lied. I am sorry,” the letter mentioned, in accordance with the household.
The author acknowledged that the unique report had been false.
Luna’s mom mentioned she didn’t consider the one who made the report was solely accountable, arguing that police had didn’t adequately confirm the allegation with the many individuals who had been current on the facility.
Several months later, in June 2026, the household obtained one other letter.
It got here from the mom of the elementary faculty woman who had additionally been questioned at Akashi Police Station.
The lady wrote that her daughter had watched news protection of Luna’s case and mentioned that being subjected to such questioning for days might make somebody really feel as if they may die.
The mom mentioned her personal daughter had suffered drastically throughout simply three and a half hours of questioning, making it tough to think about what Luna and her household had endured throughout 18 days of detention.
Luna’s mom is constant authorized motion searching for accountability from police and prosecutors and says she needs the circumstances surrounding her daughter’s arrest, detention and loss of life to be absolutely established.
Source: KTV NEWS