Ex-fireman gets 30 years for raping 8 women in Sapporo

Friday 11th July, 03:05 PM JST

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Latest 15 of 21 Total Comments Show All

jammer at 05:28 PM JST - 11th July

Not that one would really care too much about such a trivial matter as this, but what does the fact that he was a firefighter have to do with the price of tea in china? What does this add to the story? Is it not merely a chance for media to take an undeserved shot at firefighters? Pretty lame.
HonestDictator at 05:56 PM JST - 11th July

This is a fairly decent sentence, but he's more like a serial rapist, added on to that the robberies... I would think between 40 years to life would have been proper. But then again, he'll be released by the time he's 59-60 AND he has to do labor. Oh well, I guess I'll leave it be.
TJrandom at 06:02 PM JST - 11th July

jammer

what does the fact that he was a firefighter have to do

That he was a fireman is relevant in that he was a public servant – a government employee, in a position of trust, whose job was to protect and certainly not to rob and rape. So as to being newsworthy, will the following professions please stop your shenanigans (and worse): Self Defense Forces, Police, Firemen, Public Educators, and other Government Employees (I believe that this is the sequence of authority) - or please expect to see your profession prominently displayed….
DXXJP at 06:14 PM JST - 11th July

You all seem to think he's going to get raped, likely it wont happen. As for hard labor he'll probably be building jewelry boxes, and trinkets or packaging products you and me buy everyday.

Its good to see something being done by the courts but there isn't a rape problem in Japanese prisons, most likely he'll find a few friends.
jammer at 06:43 PM JST - 11th July

I'm not absolving the guy here TJ. I agree he is scum. But dont you think you are taking his job descrition a bit over the top? Since when is a firefighter a position of trust?? The guy puts out fires. I also don't argue the newsworthiness of the story. I just dont see a connection to the headline. It's not mentioned in the story anywhere.

Maybe I am looking at this incorrectly?
Triumvere at 07:44 PM JST - 11th July

I'm not sure what the fuss is over the reporting of his job; its a standard personal detail which is reported when people are featured in news stories. It is a basic way to identify someone. You might as well have said "Why did they post his age? What does that have to do with anything?"

The basic pieces of info reported about news figures are: name, sex, age, occupation, and place of residence. Nationality if the person is foreign. I see nothing particularly sinister about this.

As to firefighters, they have long been seen as 'heroes' and rolemodels (at least in the US) as they have dedicaded themselves to risking their lives to save others. (No-one goes into firefighting "for the money", and their are no issues with racism, abuse of power or corruption as with the police, who have also traditionaly been potrayed as role models). But the article does nothing to stress a "breach of public trust" or indicate that the sentence had any relation to his occupation.

All it did was state what his job was, which, I suspect, they would have done if he had been a denitist, a conveniece store clerk, or even if he had no job at all.
helloklitty at 08:07 PM JST - 11th July

what does the fact that he was a firefighter have to do with the price of tea in china?

I find it quite interesting. I'm not familiar with the rape incidents, but if they occurred in the victims' apartments, who could enter a high-rise apartment better than a fireman. Even if a woman (assuming he was raping women) had locked her window, he'd just smash it in with his ax.
Blue_Tiger at 08:10 PM JST - 11th July

Cutting up and dismembering your older sister (or a neighbor) will get someone 7 years, but rape gets one 30?

Good to know the Japan Justice System has its priorities in order....
jammer at 08:55 PM JST - 11th July

The basic pieces of info reported about news figures are: name, sex, age, occupation, and place of residence. Nationality if the person is foreign. I see nothing particularly sinister about this.

Hate to harp, but check out the lead story on JT now. Nothing of his job reported. I never said it was sinister that they report he is a firefighter, I just don't think it is appropriate and consider it irresponsible.
TJrandom at 09:02 PM JST - 11th July

jammer and triumvere

Dentists, plumbers, programmers, etc. are not goverment employees - in line to lead Japan, or any subdivision of Japan in case there is no one of superior rank. These other non-government positions are rarely specified in news reports, unless it is meaningful to the news (e.g. the plumber used a pipe-cutter to xyz). They normally are reported as "company employee", etc., and are not treated as roles requiring respect in the sense of "take orders from".

Of course I could be wrong, but this is how it was explained to me so many years ago here in Japan.
moonbeams at 10:39 PM JST - 11th July

Blue_Tiger:

The difference between rape and murder is that with rape you live with the memories of being killed.
mindovermatter at 12:17 PM JST - 14th July

Government Employees (I believe that this is the sequence of authority)

See that's the problem japan has right now...

They teach people (in this country) from the age 5 or 6 to distrust everyone, except their own pure, "superior" race, and that somehow this equates to "Trust-Worthiness."

That's how you get School principals, teachers, policemen, firemen...etc... who under the color of authority, abuse their position or implied authority.

Japan you need to take a good look at yourself in the mirror and apply good dose of common-sense to your daily life....

I.E... unless this fireman is rescuing you from a burning building or advising you on the fire code (in uniform, on duty) you have no reason to expect that he is Trust-Worthy at 3am in he morning following you down a dark street... Or any professional for that mater...

Ask yourself, is this in the performance of his duty or not?

common sense...
Blue_Tiger at 11:07 PM JST - 15th July

moonbeams - And the victims' families DON'T live with the memories of their loved ones being killed?
helloklitty at 11:40 PM JST - 16th July

Cutting up and dismembering your older sister (or a neighbor) will get someone 7 years, but rape gets one 30?

Eight rapes and being a firefighter gets you 30.
isthistheend at 07:36 PM JST - 17th July

3.8 years per rape. I wonder why it takes escalation past 1 or 2 victims before the suspect is brought to heel? A year and a half, 18 months, one every 2 months, or are these only the ones that were reported? That I think is the real concern. I'll bet its more like double the victims, don't ya think?