KOBE –
The household of a 16-year-old woman who died from extreme malnutrition six months after being arrested and detained for 18 days over an assault allegation she denied has launched a lawsuit in opposition to Hyogo Prefecture and the Japanese authorities, with the primary listening to held at Kobe District Court on October 21, as a separate case involving a 12-year-old woman has raised additional questions on interrogation practices on the identical police station.
The teenager, recognized as Luna, died in December 2025 after her weight had fallen to only 19 kilograms. She had been recognized with post-traumatic stress dysfunction (PTSD) following her launch from detention, and her household alleges that illegal police and prosecutorial actions contributed to her bodily and psychological deterioration.
Luna had adopted within the footsteps of her mom, who had labored in incapacity welfare for a few years, and commenced working at a help facility for folks with disabilities after graduating from junior highschool.
In June 2025, she was arrested by Hyogo Prefectural Police on suspicion of assaulting a facility resident throughout an occasion by repeatedly urgent in opposition to the particular person’s jaw. Luna constantly denied the allegation, saying she had no recollection of doing something resembling the alleged assault.
Despite her denial, she was held in custody for 18 days. Following her launch, her psychological and bodily well being deteriorated, and he or she died six months after her arrest.
Her household subsequently filed a damages lawsuit in opposition to Hyogo Prefecture and the nationwide authorities, arguing that the police investigation, detention and prosecutorial procedures had been illegal and had finally contributed to her loss of life.
At the primary listening to on October 21, Luna’s mom appeared in court docket dressed solely in white, explaining that the clothes represented her willpower to ascertain her daughter’s innocence.
“I have always believed that the police and prosecutors are there to help people and protect lives and human rights,” she instructed the court docket. “I want to know why it was necessary to deprive my daughter of her freedom. I demand that the facts and the grounds for that decision be made clear.”
The household additionally raised considerations about Luna’s therapy whereas in custody.
According to her mom, Luna had described being pressured by detention officers to eat regardless of being bodily unable to take action. Officers allegedly instructed her that refusing meals would make them chargeable for her situation.
Notes Luna wrote whereas detained described investigators repeatedly demanding that she confess to the alleged assault.
“You really did it, didn’t you? Tell the truth. You’ll feel better if you admit it now,” one officer allegedly instructed her.
Her notes additionally recorded her emotional misery, together with her want to go away detention and return to her household.
“I can’t take this anymore. I want to see everyone again. Mom, I want to see you. I’m sorry,” she wrote.
The allegation that led to Luna’s arrest had originated with a facility resident with an mental incapacity who reported an incident to municipal authorities.
However, three months after Luna’s loss of life, her mom obtained a letter from the resident acknowledging that the unique account had been exaggerated.
“I reported it as abuse even though I wasn’t sure whether it was abuse. I exaggerated what happened,” the letter acknowledged.
Luna’s household mentioned prosecutors had knowledgeable them solely that the case wouldn’t proceed, with out offering a passable rationalization of the choice or the circumstances of her detention.
Hyogo Prefecture and the nationwide authorities have indicated that they’ll contest the lawsuit and have requested the court docket to dismiss the household’s claims.
Following the listening to, Hyogo Prefectural Police maintained that the investigation and therapy of Luna throughout detention didn’t represent illegal conduct underneath Japan’s State Redress Act.
The case has additionally introduced renewed consideration to a separate incident involving a 12-year-old sixth-grade woman who was questioned on the identical police station greater than a yr earlier than Luna’s arrest.
The woman, recognized right here as Amane, was summoned to Akashi Police Station in February 2024 after officers contacted her mom and requested that she deliver her daughter in for questioning about bother in school.
Amane and her mom arrived at roughly 4:30 p.m. and have been taken to separate rooms.
According to her mom, officers instantly alleged that Amane had been concerned with a number of classmates in repeatedly touching a male pupil’s personal components.
Police claimed the boy had been touched greater than 10 occasions.
The allegation shocked Amane’s mom, who initially believed the police will need to have obtained dependable proof earlier than summoning her daughter.
“I thought police officers wouldn’t lie about something like that,” she recalled. “I was terribly shaken, and I feel sorry for my daughter because I actually began to suspect her.”
Amane, in the meantime, was questioned alone by a feminine police officer after her belongings have been searched.
The officer requested whether or not she had touched the boy’s decrease physique. Amane denied doing so however, as questioning continued, remembered that she had struck him whereas taking part in tag throughout a college journey.
She tried to elucidate the incident, however the officer allegedly handled her account as affirmation of the unique accusation.
Amane recalled feeling more and more frightened whereas alone with an grownup officer in a small room.
The questioning continued, with the officer allegedly insisting that she couldn’t have forgotten such an incident and telling her that her mom had been crying.
“You wouldn’t forget if you had done something like that. Your mother was crying. I think you should tell us,” the officer allegedly mentioned.
Under the strain, Amane started to doubt her personal reminiscence.
She mentioned she thought of herself forgetful and regularly turned involved that she may need performed one thing with out remembering it.
Eventually, she instructed the officer that the alleged conduct may need occurred.
Amane was then instructed to jot down an account of what she had performed.
According to her testimony, the officer instructed her that hitting somebody and touching them have been successfully the identical factor and instructed her to jot down that she had touched the boy.
Although Amane believed she had not dedicated the alleged act, she complied.
“I wondered why she kept telling me to write it, but at that point I felt I had to write what the officer wanted,” she recalled. “I knew I hadn’t done it, but I wrote it anyway. I thought I couldn’t go home unless I did.”
By the time the interrogation ended at roughly 8 p.m., Amane had spent three and a half hours on the police station.
She mentioned she had misplaced monitor of time, seen that it had turn out to be darkish exterior and was determined to return house.
During the questioning, police additionally reportedly took six pictures of her in a way resembling the photographing of a prison suspect.
The procedures have raised questions on whether or not officers complied with nationwide pointers governing police interactions with youngsters.
According to the National Police Agency, photographing juveniles throughout investigations can impose a considerable psychological burden. Such images is usually prohibited besides when unavoidable and when consent has been obtained from each the juvenile and their guardian.
The company has additionally instructed police departments nationwide to keep away from questioning youngsters underneath the age of 14 late at night time or for prolonged durations.
Amane’s mother and father subsequently visited Akashi Police Station repeatedly to protest the questioning and search a proof.
During one go to, officers acknowledged that doubts had emerged in regards to the credibility of the boy’s unique allegation.
Police mentioned they’d questioned a number of classmates, all of whom denied the alleged conduct, elevating questions on whether or not the boy’s account was correct.
Amane’s mom mentioned she was astonished that her daughter had been handled as a suspect with out firmer proof.
“I thought they must have solid evidence before accusing someone,” she mentioned. “But apparently that wasn’t the case. I was frightened that a child could be summoned and treated like a criminal so easily.”
Despite repeated visits to the station, the household mentioned it obtained neither a passable rationalization nor an apology.
When contacted about Amane’s case, Hyogo Prefectural Police mentioned the images taken throughout questioning had been deleted and maintained that there had been no issues with the interrogation.
The household later discovered of Luna’s arrest and loss of life on the identical police station and was deeply disturbed by the similarities between the 2 circumstances.
Amane’s mom mentioned she was notably distressed that Luna’s therapy had occurred after her family had repeatedly complained about police questioning practices.
“We protested, so why didn’t things improve even a little?” she requested. “I cannot accept that a child had to die. For a mother, the idea of a child never coming home is unbearable.”
A lawyer recognized as Kawamura, who has dealt with quite a few juvenile circumstances over roughly 20 years, warned that youngsters are notably susceptible to strain throughout police questioning as a result of they haven’t but developed the arrogance and talent to say themselves in the identical approach as adults.
Children might agree with investigators’ solutions even when the statements are inaccurate, notably when questioning is carried out by officers with out specialised coaching in coping with minors, Kawamura mentioned.
The lawyer argued that law enforcement officials ought to obtain applicable coaching earlier than questioning youngsters and that making use of typical grownup interrogation strategies to juveniles creates critical dangers.
Kawamura additionally recommended that different circumstances of inappropriate questioning might stay undisclosed.
Children underneath the age of prison duty not often have authorized illustration throughout police investigations, and fogeys might settle for official accounts or really feel powerless to problem the authorities.
Some households might stay silent as a result of they consider their youngster was at fault, whereas others might concern confronting the police.
The lawyer mentioned these circumstances might permit questionable investigative practices to proceed with out public scrutiny.
After studying about Luna’s case by news protection, Amane and her mom started exchanging letters with Luna’s household.
In her preliminary letter, Amane’s mom expressed shock at what had occurred and defined that her personal daughter had additionally been abruptly summoned and questioned by officers on the identical station.
The correspondence ultimately introduced the 2 households collectively.
On October 21, Amane’s mom attended the proceedings at Kobe District Court to help Luna’s mom, assembly her in particular person for the primary time.
The two ladies spoke in regards to the misery their daughters had skilled and the issue of being believed when difficult police accounts.
Amane’s mom inspired Luna’s mom to proceed in search of solutions, saying she understood the ache of watching a baby endure after being accused of one thing they’d not performed.
Luna’s mom thanked her for the letters and help, saying they’d helped give her the power to pursue the case.
Another household whose daughter was questioned in reference to Amane’s college incident has additionally reported lasting psychological penalties.
According to the woman’s mom, her daughter emerged from the police station asking whether or not law enforcement officials have been allowed to lie.
The woman reportedly continues to turn out to be anxious when she sees law enforcement officials or patrol vehicles, suggesting that the expertise has broken her belief in regulation enforcement.
The incident has raised considerations that youngsters who lose confidence in police might later hesitate to hunt assist in the event that they turn out to be victims of crime.
For Luna’s mom, the lawsuit isn’t solely an effort to ascertain what occurred to her daughter but additionally a marketing campaign to stop different households from experiencing comparable tragedies.
She recalled that whilst Luna’s well being deteriorated following her launch, {the teenager} had mentioned she would forgive the police in the event that they apologized.
Her mom mentioned she was deeply moved by her daughter’s willingness to forgive regardless of the whole lot she had skilled.
“She said she could forgive them if they apologized,” she recalled. “That shocked me. After suffering so much, she was still able to say she would forgive them.”
Luna’s mom mentioned she would proceed presenting her daughter’s account no matter how strongly the police, prosecutors or authorities disputed it.
“No matter how much the government, police or prosecutors deny it, I will keep telling people exactly what my daughter said,” she mentioned. “I will continue until they understand.”
She hopes the proceedings will set up why Luna was arrested and detained, make clear the circumstances surrounding her loss of life, and result in modifications in the best way police examine allegations involving youngsters.
Source: TBS