CHIBA (TR) – “I was thinking about marrying [the victim]. I was planning to make some kind of move when she graduated from high school.”
The quote above is from the testimony of Jun Suminaka, a 41-year-old resident of Aichi Prefecture, throughout his trial for kidnapping a highschool woman from Chiba Prefecture earlier this yr, when she was 15 years previous. He additionally advised the courtroom, “I was thinking about a future with her.”
Further particulars of his testimony are included in a report by Friday (Sep. 25), which paperwork one in all his sexual encounters with the sufferer wherein he convinces her to proceed with out safety since she was “going to commit suicide anyway.”
Met on a chat app
On May 16, Chiba Prefectural Police arrested Suminaka for allegedly kidnapping the highschool woman whom he met on a chat app.
The sufferer’s mom filed a lacking individual’s report on the night time of May 13. Suminaka’s id was later confirmed via safety digital camera footage. While he was with the woman, they stayed a resort.
On June 6, prosecutors indicted Suminaka on costs of kidnapping a minor. He was additionally later indicted twice on costs of non-consensual sexual activity and different crimes.
“Safe space for me”
The second listening to on this case was held on the Chiba District Court on September 9, the place the defendant was questioned. In response to his protection lawyer’s questions, Suminaka started explaining how he met the sufferer and the way they turned shut.
“Around last summer, my boss changed at work, and my environment changed,” the defendant mentioned. “I couldn’t keep up with the changes, and I worried every day that I would collapse if things continued like this. I started seeking advice from the company’s counseling center around the end of last year, but nothing changed.”
While combating relationships at work, he met the sufferer via a random chat.
“I met her in April of this year. We would talk about hobbies and such several times a day, but gradually our interactions increased. As our messaging increased, she started to rely on me, and even told me, ‘I want you to rely on me too.’
I was afraid of relying and showing my weaknesses, so I was worried at first. But as I gradually began to rely on her, [the space where we interacted] became a safe space for me.”
The two met for the primary time in late April. She engaged in sexual exercise that day.
“I’ll die with you”
The protection lawyer requested, “There’s a significant age difference between you and her. What did you think about that?”
Suminaka answered, “Before and after meeting her, I was always worried about whether she would accept me. However, as we met and talked, she gradually began to move closer to me, so I began to think that she accepted me.
I was concerned about the legal implications of sexual intercourse, but I took action to see if my relationship with her was genuine.”
Suminaka started to assume that he needed to be with the sufferer ceaselessly.
His protection lawyer talked about that he had thought of marriage and requested, “What did you think about your relationship with her?”
Suminaka mentioned, “The children [of my wife and me] were still in school, so I was thinking about asking my wife for a divorce once things had settled down.”
Around that point, the sufferer was troubled by home points and had even tried suicide. When she advised him she needed to die, Suminaka inspired her. “Try all sorts of things during your three years of high school and find your dreams,” he mentioned. But he added, “If you feel like you’ve reached your limit, I’ll die with you.”
He then revealed his emotions on the time: “I myself had troubles at work and felt like I wanted to die. I was ready to accept death at any time. Of course, I understood that taking someone away without their parental consent was a crime.”
“Dedicate my life to her”
Then, on the morning of May 13, the sufferer cried throughout a name on the chat app Line. “I don’t want to go to school,” she mentioned. Suminaka replied, “I’ll come and see you.”
He advised the courtroom, “I wanted to show my seriousness through my actions. I wanted to show that I was serious about dying. I called in to my company to take the day off and immediately boarded the Shinkansen for Tokyo. I didn’t have time to leave a note for my family, but when I left home, I felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders, and that I had escaped the responsibilities I was carrying.”
The prosecutor then requested, “What were you feeling when you headed for Tokyo on the morning of May 13?”
Suminaka claimed he headed there with extraordinary dedication. He mentioned, “I intended to dedicate my life to her.”
“Lacked consent”
After instructing the sufferer to show off her cell phone so her location wouldn’t be revealed, Suminaka additionally turned off his. He then headed to the assembly place, JR Akihabara Station.
After they met, they went to a close-by resort to alter, as she was sporting her faculty uniform. There, Suminaka instantly engaged in sexual activity along with her.
The sufferer requested Suminaka to make use of contraception, however he refused, and the prosecutor identified that his failure to make use of contraception “lacked consent.”
“On May 13, after meeting up with the victim, the defendant attempted to have sex with her at a hotel near Akihabara Station. She asked for contraception, but he persuaded her that she was going to commit suicide anyway, so there was no need to worry about contraception, and they continued to have sex without contraception,” the prosecutor mentioned.
After that, the 2 left the resort and boarded a Shinkansen bullet prepare from JR Tokyo Station, heading for Sendai City.
The trial is ongoing.