Otsu, Japan – Police in Japan’s Shiga prefecture have arrested a 24-year-old Indian national, identified as a temporary worker, on suspicion of raping a teenage high school girl last month. The arrest was made on Thursday by Shiga’s Otsu police.
According to reports from Kyoto Shimbun and Tokyo Reporter, the incident allegedly occurred in the early hours of June 21. The suspect is accused of assaulting the girl, including choking her, before sexually assaulting her at a hotel in Otsu city.
Police stated that the man and the girl did not know each other. The suspect reportedly lured her to the front of a hotel under the guise of asking for directions, then allegedly forced her into a room. The man has denied the charges, stating, “I did not force her.”
Legal Context in Japan
In Japan, the crime of forcible sexual intercourse, or rape, carries a significant penalty of at least five years in prison. The law was updated in 2023 to broaden the definition of rape to include any non-consensual intercourse, moving beyond the previous requirement to prove violence or intimidation that rendered the victim “incapable of resisting.”
Foreign nationals in Japan are subject to the country’s laws. If arrested, individuals can be held in detention for several months during the investigation and legal proceedings, often without bail. Japan is known for its high conviction rate in criminal cases. While Japan and India do not have a bilateral extradition treaty, extradition can still occur between nations based on individual requests and their respective domestic laws.