Each week, here at Osaka.com, we bring you a selection of some of the top stories about Osaka making the local and national news here in Japan. Sometimes it’s serious, sometimes it’s funny, but it’s always direct to you, from Osaka.
Here’s a look at some of the stories hitting the headlines in Osaka this week.
Suspect found in Driving Case
Last week we reported on the arrest of one of two suspects in a case of attempted murder in Osaka. We now have an update on the second suspect.
Previously, police arrested the passenger of a vehicle which struck an officer and then continued to move with him on the hood. The driver, however, fled the scene and remained at large for several days.
That all changed this week however. Osaka police confirmed on December 10th that the second suspect, the driver of the vehicle is now in custody.
Keiju Nakasaka, from Kobe, was detained on December 9th. His fellow suspect, Masanori Matsuda surrendered to police on November 29th. The two will now face charges, with attempted murder and dangerous driving among the list of probable offences.
Despite being dragged for about 220 meters in the incident, the arresting officer sustained only cuts and scrapes to his knees.
Suspect in Rape Case Changes Plea
This week also saw a further development in another high profile criminal case in Osaka. After previously declaring that he would plead “no contest” in his rape trial, suspect and former Chief Public Prosecutor of Osaka Kentaro Kitagawa has changed his mind. The 65 year old will now plead “not guilty” to allegations he forced himself on a drunk female colleague in 2018.
Kitagawa does not deny he had intercourse with the woman. However, he now claims it was consensual. His alleged victim maintains that in her condition at the time, she was not in a position to consent to any such acts, or to resist.
Kitagawa’s new defense strategy comes after a change in his legal staff. His new chief legal counsel Kazuhiro Nakamura announced the suspect’s change of plea at a press briefing this week.
The victim said, via a statement from her legal team, that the suspect’s behavior was “shameful”. She will elaborate further on the situation at her own press conference later this week.
The planned second hearing in the case, scheduled for next Tuesday, has now been postponed. The presiding judge said: “In light of the change in the suspect’s plea intention, we think it only fair to reschedule the next part of the trial process to a later date.”
Extortion Suspect Caught
Osaka’s thriving nightlife also harbors a darker side. The light of the law shone upon this seedy underbelly this week. Osaka Police launched a blitz against illegal activities in the city’s host clubs.
Following allegations from a female victim, who was scammed into paying over 1 million yen by a host posing as her boyfriend, 4 people were arrested. A further 47 suspects have been called in for questioning. Amongst their alleged offences include scouting for sex establishments and host clubs, as well as intimidation and fraud.
To their credit, at a meeting with prefectural police, a group representing the host club sector, comprising some 140 attendees, pledged to work alongside the police to root out rogue operators.
As of last month, support groups in Osaka received 287 consultations from women alleging fraud at the hands of hosts. To date, these consultations have led to 87 criminal cases being brought, and 203 suspects interviewed.
And Finally…
It’s a huge weekend for Osaka-born Celtic striker Daizen Maeda and his teammates. Coming off of a hard fought 0-0 draw away to Dynamo Zagreb in the UEFA Champions League, the Scottish Champions face their bitter rivals Rangers in the League Cup Final in the early hours of Monday morning, Osaka time. Celtic are favorites for the match, but Maeda said he anticipates a tough game.
“These fixtures are always difficult.” he said. “The crowd will also be evenly matched, so we can expect a lot of noise from both sides.”
Rangers form has been woefully inconsistent so far this season. Despite only being about 30 percent of the way through the campaign, they already trail Celtic by more than 10 points.
For Celtic, the game represents the chance to land the first trophy of a potential domestic treble. For their rivals, even at this relatively early stage of the campaign, this one-off match may represent their best chance of getting any silverware this season.
Regardless, we suspect that the one thing both sets of fans can actually agree on is that this is the most important Glasgow Derby yet. At least, until the next one at the end of this month!
That’s all for now, but be sure to check back again same time next week for another round of This Week in Osaka!
