Niigata child abduction

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The Niigata child abduction in 1990 is known because of the more than nine years of imprisonment in Japan (there under the name 新潟 少女 監禁 事件 , Niigata shōjo kankin jiken , for example: "Niigata girl incarceration").

kidnapping

A nine-year-old (pseudonym: Sachiko Yamada ( 山田 幸 子 )) was abducted on November 13, 1990 and then held for nine years and two months until January 28, 2000.

The girl disappeared on November 13, 1990 on her way home from a baseball game in her hometown of Sanjō ( Niigata Prefecture , Japan ). A major police search was unsuccessful.

Her kidnapper was a then 28 year old, mentally ill and unemployed man. He first pulled into his car and held it after nine years and two months in the upper floor of his house in a residential area of Kashiwazaki ( Niigata prefecture ) caught. The house is only 200 meters from a police station ( Kōban ) and 55 kilometers from the kidnapping site.

captivity

Although Sachiko Yamada was initially afraid, she said she later gave up her hopes of escape and surrendered to her fate. The kidnapper reportedly kept her handcuffed for several months. He used a stun gun to punish her. He threatened her with a knife and hit her. She spent most of her imprisonment listening to the radio; she was only able to watch television for the past year. Although the door to her hiding place was never locked, Yamada did not step outside for nine years. She later reported to the police:

"I was too scared and finally lost the strength to flee."

The kidnapper's mother, who lived on the lower floor, did not appear to have had any contact with her son's prisoner, who became very violent as soon as she tried to go upstairs.

liberation

The kidnapper's mother, then 73 years old, contacted the Kashiwazaki Health Department in January 1996 because her son had behaved in a conspicuous manner and was violent towards her. She called again on January 12, 2000, and again on January 19, asking for a house call. On January 28, officials from the health department finally went to her home. The officers called the police because of the son's behavior. Sachiko Yamada took the opportunity and turned to the police. She said:

“I was kidnapped near my school by a man who forced me into his car. […] I haven't left the house for nine years. Today is my first time outside. "

When she was freed, Sachiko Yamada turned out to be extremely thin and weak . She was barely able to walk due to lack of practice. She also suffered from dehydration and jaundice . Since she had hardly been exposed to the sun, her skin was very light. While her body was that of a grown woman, her behavior was like that of a child. She suffered from post-traumatic stress syndrome .

Soon after her liberation, Sachiko Yamada was reunited with her family.

consequences

In the years after her release, Sachiko Yamada's health improved. Today she helps the family grow rice . But nine critical years of adult development are missing, and she still has difficulty finding her way around life. She has few friends and likes to go for walks alone. She likes to practice digital photography , especially of flowers, and has obtained her driver's license. Neighbors report that she is a fan of the Albirex Niigata soccer team and attends their games.

The family refuses to talk about the tragedy.

Prosecution

The 37-year-old kidnapper came to inpatient treatment on January 28, 2000 as mentally unstable. On February 1, his legal status was changed from suspect to criminal, and he was arrested on February 11, 2000.

The Niigata Court opened the trial on May 23, 2000. During the trial, the prosecution acted very carefully so as not to further harm Sachiko Yamada's mental health. After the defense filed for insanity , the kidnapper was declared fit to stand on the basis of psychiatric reports on January 22, 2002, and he subsequently admitted most of the charges. On the same day, he was sentenced to 14 years' imprisonment (the maximum sentence would have been 15 years) by the Niigata District Court.

The defense presented on 24 January 2002 appeal , and the process was at the Tokyo High Court continued. On October 12, 2002, Chief Justice Toshio Yamada ( 山田 利夫 , Yamada Toshio ) reduced the kidnapper's sentence to 11 years.

Both the prosecution and the defense appealed and the trial continued at the Tokyo Supreme Court . Supreme Court Judge Takehisa Fukusawa ( 深 沢 武 久 , Fukusawa Takehisa ) endorsed the prosecution's arguments and the kidnapper is now serving a 14-year prison sentence (some sources mistakenly claim 15 years).

Criticism of the police

After the discovery and rescue of Sachiko Yamada, the police in Japan came under heavy criticism. The kidnapper was already known to the police for violence against another young woman, an act he committed on June 13, 1989 and for which he was convicted on September 19, 1989. However, his name disappeared from the list of criminals for unknown reasons, and he was not considered a suspect for the abduction of Sachiko Yamada. For this reason, and because of other errors by the police, resigned on February 26, 2000, the head of the Prefectural Police Koji Kobayashi and on February 29, 2000 the head of the Kanto Regional Police , a branch of the national police department , resigned.

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