Two former teachers in Nagano arrested over alleged assaults on girls under 16
In short
Nagano prefectural police arrested two former teachers on Oct. 5 on suspicion of sexual assault and indecent acts against girls under 16 in two separate incidents, according to local reports. Both men deny the allegations. The two had worked at the same high school in the Chūshin region of Nagano at the time of the alleged incidents and had left the school, and police are checking whether they committed other offenses.
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Nagano prefectural police on Oct. 5 arrested two men, both former teachers, on suspicion of sexual assault and indecent acts against girls under 16 in two separate incidents, according to Sankei Shimbun, Nippon TV News and NHK News. All three reports said the suspects deny the allegations. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Sankei Shimbun identified the suspects as Ryōkō Koike, 24, unemployed, of Ikeda, Nagano, and Ryōta Wakibuchi, 37, unemployed, of Matsumoto, Nagano. It said Koike is suspected of non-consensual indecent acts and non-consensual intercourse on the night of June 27 at a restaurant and nearby in the prefecture, and that the case came to light during an investigation into another matter. Wakibuchi is suspected of non-consensual intercourse on the daytime of July 6 at a facility in the prefecture, in a case reported by a person connected to the victim, the report said. Sankei said the two were separate cases and that police were examining the circumstances; Nippon TV News and NHK News did not name the suspects. [ 1 ]
Nippon TV News and NHK News reported that the two worked at the same high school in the Chūshin region of Nagano at the time of the alleged incidents. Nippon TV News, citing the prefecture and the school, said both resigned afterwards, and that the 24-year-old had been drinking alcohol in the restaurant at the time of the June incident. Sankei Shimbun and Nippon TV News said both suspects knew the girls. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Nippon TV News reported that police are investigating whether the two have committed additional offenses. Sankei Shimbun said police are looking into the details of the cases. [ 1 , 2 ]
Why it matters
The suspects were teaching at a high school at the time of the alleged incidents and police say they knew the girls, which the documents present as a case involving minors and adults in positions of trust. Police are investigating whether there are additional offenses and have described the two cases as separate, so the scope of the allegations is not yet settled.
Key facts
- Nagano prefectural police arrested two men, both former teachers, on Oct. 5 over alleged sexual acts against girls under 16. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- The two cases are separate incidents, one alleged on the night of June 27 and one on the daytime of July 6, both in the Chūshin region of Nagano Prefecture. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Sankei Shimbun identified the suspects as a 24-year-old unemployed man from Ikeda, Nagano, and a 37-year-old unemployed man from Matsumoto, Nagano. [ 1 ]
- Both suspects deny the allegations, according to police reports. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- The two men worked at the same high school in the Chūshin region at the time of the alleged incidents, according to Nippon TV News and NHK News. [ 2 , 3 ]
- Nippon TV News reported that the two resigned from the school after the incidents, citing the prefecture and the school. [ 2 ]
- Police said both suspects knew the girls, according to Sankei Shimbun and Nippon TV News. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Police are investigating whether the two have committed additional offenses, Nippon TV News reported. [ 2 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Nagano prefectural police arrested two former teachers on Oct. 5 over alleged sexual acts against girls under 16. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Both suspects deny the allegations. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Both men worked at the same high school in the Chūshin region of Nagano at the time of the alleged incidents. [ 2 , 3 ]
- Police said both suspects knew the girls. [ 1 , 2 ]
Still unclear
- The names and home addresses of the suspects Only Sankei Shimbun gives the names, ages and addresses; Nippon TV News and NHK News describe them by age and former occupation without naming them.
- The exact locations of the alleged incidents The documents place them in a restaurant and its surroundings and at a facility in the Chūshin region or elsewhere in Nagano Prefecture, but do not give a city or specific site.
- Whether the two cases are connected, and whether there are additional offenses Sankei Shimbun says the cases are separate; Nippon TV News says police are checking for additional offenses, so the scope remains open.
- The number of victims and further details of the alleged acts Each document refers to a girl in the singular for each case, and no document states whether more victims are involved.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Sankei Shimbun reports that Nagano police arrested two former teachers in separate alleged sexual-assault cases, both of whom deny the charges. [ 1 ]
- Nippon TV News reports that the two worked at the same high school and had resigned after the incidents, and that police are investigating possible additional offenses. [ 2 ]
- NHK News reports the arrests of the two teachers from the same high school and their denials. [ 3 ]