Shiori Ino

was a 21-year-old Japanese female university student who was murdered on October 26, 1999. The murder is known for stalking, police dereliction, and mass media coverage.

The murder

Shiori was stalked by her former boyfriend nihongo|Kazuhito Komatsu|小松 和人|Komatsu Kazuhito. Kazuhito and his brother, Takeshi, hired a hit man. Takeshi paid three men 18,000,000 yen for murdering her. [ [http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20031226a2.html Ringleader in coed slaying gets life term] "The Japan Times"] Shiori was terrified and called Saitama police, but the police ignored her. [ [http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20000407a4.html Saitama police fire trio over false-evidence case] "The Japan Times"] As a result of lack of police intervention, she was murdered in Okegawa, Saitama on October 26, 1999.

The police and mass media began to slander her as an "immoral woman", but a journalist Kiyoshi Shimizu discovered that it was false information. [cite news | author=Channel Surf | title=Romantics, reporter go far away, so close | publisher=The Japan Times | url=http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fd20021027cs.html | date=2002-10-27 | accessdate=2008-01-22] He investigated the murder in an article in the magazine "FOCUS", determined who the criminals were, and released photographs of them.

On December 19, 1999, the hit man, Yoshifumi Kubota, was arrested. On December 20, 1999, three main criminals, including Takeshi, were arrested. On January 16, 2000, eight other people were arrested and a warrant was issued for Kazuhito.

Kazuhito Komatsu evaded arrest and went to Sapporo, Hokkaidō, with Kiyoshi Shimizu, the reporter, following him. On January 27, 2000, his dead body was found in Teshikaga, Hokkaidō. His death was determined to be a suicide.

The stalker regulation law took effect in November 2000 because of this murder. [ [http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20051221a4.html Stalker-killer's life term upheld] "The Japan Times"]

Trial

Saitama Police were criticized in the media for dereliction of duty. [cite news|url=http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20060516b9.html|title=Crime reporting turns murky as cops clam up|publisher=The Japan Times|author=Motoi Arikawa|date=2006-05-16|accessdate=2008-02-14] The head of Saitama Police apologized to her family and three police officers were fired. [cite news | author= | title=3 Saitama police officers dismissed over falsification | publisher=CNET Networks | url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0XPQ/is_2000_April_10/ai_61825358 | date=2000-04-10 | accessdate=2008-01-22] Then the three policemen were indicted. On September 7, 2000, Toshio Katagiri and Hirokazu Furuta were each sentenced to 1 year 6 months in prison and Tsuyoshi Honda was sentenced to 1 year 2 months in prison, but they were allowed to receive suspended sentences.

On December 22, 2000, Shiori Ino's family sued Saitama Police. On February 16, 2003, district court ruled that the Saitama Police would have to pay consolation money, but denied that police neglect had allowed the criminals to murder her. On appeal, on August 30, 2006, the Supreme Court upheld the original sentence.

The hit man, Kubota, was sentenced to 18 years in prison. Two other main criminals, Satoshi Kawakami and Yoshitaka Ito, were each sentenced to 15 years in prison. Takeshi was sentenced to life imprisonment, but he appealed. On September 5, 2006, the Supreme Court upheld his original sentence.

Media

In Japan, the crime has been dramatized for TV twice. One version, based on Kiyoshi Shimizu's writing, was aired on October 28, 2002. Another version, in which Rina Uchiyama played the role of Shiori, was aired on December 13, 2003.

ee also

*Investigative journalism

References

External links

*cite news|url=http://www.japantoday.com/jp/news/359096|title=Life term upheld for ringleader in stalking murder of student|publisher="Japan Today"|date=December 21, 2005
*cite news|url=http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fd20021027cs.html|title= Romantics, reporter go far away, so close|publisher="The Japan Times"|date=October 27, 2002
*cite news|url=http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20030612a2.html|title=Kin of stalking victim seek justice|publisher="The Japan Times"|date=June 12, 2003
*cite news|url=http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20051221a4.html|title=Stalker-killer's life term upheld|publisher="The Japan Times"|date=December 21, 2005
*cite news|url=http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20060119f1.html|title=Media coverage of victims questioned|publisher="The Japan Times"|date=January 19, 2006
*cite web|url=http://www.allbusiness.com/legal/international-law/1146511-1.html|title=Harmonising anti-stalking laws|author=Infield, Paul|publisher=The George Washington International Law Review|date=2003-01-01 - The website is also written about her murder and Japanese stalking
*ja icon [http://okegawa-support.web.infoseek.co.jp/index.htm Website about "Ino family v. Saitama"]
*ja icon [http://www.alpha-net.ne.jp/users2/knight9/okegawa.htm Timeline on the murder]
*ja icon [http://gonta13.at.infoseek.co.jp/newpage60.htm Report mainly based on Shimizu Kiyoshi's writing]