NHK reporter arrested for alleged sexual assault in Yamagata
Feb. 7, 2017 02:46 pm JST Feb. 7, 2017 | 03:07 pm JST
A 28-year-old reporter for reporter for NHK has been arrested on suspicion of breaking into a woman's home and sexually assaulting her in Sakata, Yamagata Prefecture, last year.
According to police, Yasutaka Tsurumoto, who was arrested on Monday, has denied the charge. He was quoted as saying, "I don't know," Fuji TV reported Tuesday.
Police allege that Tsurumoto broke into the victim's home while she slept at around 5 a.m. on Feb 23, 2016. Police said the intruder sexually assaulted the woman, who is in her 20s, leaving her with injuries that required two weeks of treatment.
Tsurumoto was quoted as saying he is not acquainted with the woman and said he doesn't know anything about the incident.
Police said there were several similar cases of sexual assault by an intruder in the area around the same time last year and are questioning Tsurumoto on his involvement.
NHK released a statement on Monday, saying that Tsurumoto, who had been working for the network in Yamagata Prefecture since July 2015, had the day off on Feb 23 last year. It said in a statement: "It is truly regrettable if he committed this act, and we sincerely apologize to our viewers and anyone related to the incident. Following an investigation, we plan to deal with the matter strictly."
Feb. 7, 2017 05:36 pm JST
Wonder if we'll be seeing this on tonight's NHK 7pm news?
I saw it on this morning's NHK News.
And it's on the NHK news website.
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20170207/k10010867741000.html?utm_int=news_contents_news-main_005
if he really said "I don't know" then he's guilty as sin. How do you "not know" if you did something like that?
The 'I don't know' is probably a translation of わかりません, which is what Nikkan Gendai is quoting him as saying. Depending on the context, it could probably better be translated as 'I don't understand' (why I'm being accused?/ what's going on? how I got into this mess?) According the NHK site, he told the police やっていません (I didn't do it/It wasn't me).
Strangerland
if he really said "I don't know" then he's guilty as sin. How do you "not know" if you did something like that? Oh I know "I was drunk and don't remember anything"
Sounds like a bad translation. The Japanese news is reporting he said やってない (I didn't do it). http://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/videonews/fnn?a=20170207-00000171-fnn-soci
bobsap
Feb. 8, 2017 01:13 am JST
I think every rape victim's DNA evice was saved in each one's hospital and matched with this gy's Otherwise NHK bigshoot wouldn't apologized to all victims..
Brian Wheway
Iam sure the cops are not going to tell us how the identified him, may be one or all of the following 1: DNA evidence, 2: CCTV, 3: fingerprints, 4: motive,
gogogo
What is the evidence against him?
Daniel Naumoff
They apparently had GPS device planted on his car due to his previous outbursts of "unmild" behaviour; after the victim called the police they checked his traveling record with that GPS device and saw that his car actually was in Yamagata victim's vicinity the time she claimed it happened. Sound evidence.
Probably NHK has more proof of this guy's activity of sexual activity and Rae. It apologized Moore deeply than any apoolllogy it did in past. Often NHK investigators are more accurate than any cops.
So are they going to have to collect more fees from subscribers to help pay his lawyer fees and provide the gomennasai money!??
He was quoted as saying, "I don't know," Fuji Tv reported Tuesday. Much like most of NHK's news commentary....
Raw Beer
It took a year to arrest him?
Maybe the victim recognized him on TV.
TheGodfather
"Maybe the victim recognized him on TV"
Yes, that would be the logical conclusion. Well done to the woman for reporting it...
NHK Japanese language kiss has a full coverage in Japanese language.. That include deep aolooogy by official. But above article is gooood translation for gaikokujins. the victim is in hospital for two weeks. ithink routine DNA test comparison will determine NHK apologized to all victims. We don't use past or present sentence so what NHK wrote as a big apology is when this gy was arrested? Apologized toward all victims in her neighboorfoood.
"They apparently had GPS device planted on his car due to his previous outbursts..."
Getting his DNA off a drink in a bar or coffee-shop is often used in other countries when there is not enough evidence to arrest a suspect.
Dango bong
i watched NHK news last night no mention of this, just more bad mouthing of Trump
Aly Rustom
Doesn't surprise me at all. I think NHK's employees are by and large mostly thugs.
I think that if he has a sat nav device in his car they can use the data that is stored in the units memory to retrack his moments.
lucabrasi
@Brian
Looks like the sat nav's in his brain....
Johny Shaftman
@lucabrasi, there is no doubt they have this guy, they have truckloads on him for it to get this far in the news, also companies execs won't bow on a maybe.
@Johny
Agreed it doesn't look good for him. But legal process should be sacrosanct. Otherwise, you get anarchy. Heck, in England we wouldn't even be allowed to have this conversation online before a verdict.
sir_bentley28
@gogogo
What evidence? She said it was him, and they believe her. I would love to see evidence.
beachboy7
I hope the victims can recover from this pain. Ugly people are always doing things like this.
Doesn't surprise me AT ALL that this sort of behavior comes from an NHK employee.
Moderator: The fact that his employer is NHK is irrelevant, unless you have evidence that NHK encourages its employees to break and enter and sexually assault women.
If there's no more to this case than what's reported here, then the NHK apology is both inexplicable and unforgivable.
The bloke hasn't been found guilty of anything at all. Where do his employers get off, interfering like this? I couldn't say for sure, but I bet this would be viewed as behavior likely to prejudice the outcome of a trial in a lot of countries.
There is supposedly enough evidence since his contradiction of statement he made with the fact that his car was supposed to be in Yamagata at the time victim got assaulted and recognized him later. This is more complex than a saliva sample.
sensei258
It took a year to arrest him? But if he really said "I don't know" then he's guilty as sin. How do you "not know" if you did something like that? Oh I know "I was drunk and don't remember anything"
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