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Hi Blog. Here’s the next installment in the circus that is the Ichihashi Tatsuya manhunt and arrest for homicide. First the police royally bungle their dragnet, enabling Ichihashi to live on the lam for years. Then now that he’s finally been arrested, he’s able to come out with a book about his hardships (with the apparently reassuring disclaimer that he’ll donate the proceeds elsewhere — what would he do with the money anyway?) without coming clean about why he allegedly did it. Why do I feel we’ve got the beginnings of hero worship, with pilgrimages following his path, and future fans harping on the adversities this man suffered while evading arrest? Hey, if Ichihashi had eaten his victim in another country, he might have become a writer and traveling gourmet celebrity in Japan. Reactions get weird when things get morbid — and that goes for anywhere (cf. Texas Chainsaw Massacre).
Again, I understand that the accused has the freedom to speak out about his case while in prison (a privilege you hear few people being granted while in Japanese incarceration), but somehow I get a sinking feeling about this. Deeply troubling. Let’s get a court verdict on this case, already. It’s been more than a year since his arrest. Arudou Debito
UPDATE:
The Japan Times reports (excerpt):
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20110126a2.html
The editor in charge of the book said she contacted Ichihashi’s lawyer last June to offer to publish the fugitive’s story, whereupon she received a positive response. At present there are no plans for an English translation, she told The Japan Times.
In other words, the publisher approached him for the story. I smell less attempt at contrition, more corporate profit motive. What ghouls.
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Tatsuya Ichihashi wishes murdered Briton Lindsay Ann Hawker would ‘come back to life’
The Japanese man accused of killing and raping British teacher Lindsay Hawker in 2007 has claimed in a book that he wished his victim “could come back to life.”
The Telegraph (UK) 7:00AM GMT 26 Jan 2011
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/japan/8282651/Tatsuya-Ichihashi-wishes-murdered-Briton-Lindsay-Ann-Hawker-would-come-back-to-life.html
Tatsuya Ichihashi, 32, wrote the book in the 14 months after he was apprehended after two years and seven months on the run.
Titled “Until I Was Arrested,” the book details his journeys by train and ferry the length and breadth of Japan, his repeated efforts to change his appearance by using knives and scissors on his face and his feelings of “contrition” for Hawker’s death.
The naked body of Hawker, 22, from the village of Brandon near Coventry, was found by police in March 2007 buried in sand in a bath tub on the balcony of Ichihashi’s apartment in the Gyotoku district of western Tokyo.
Barefoot, Mr Ichihashi managed to evade the eight officers searching the property. Immediately after making his escape, Mr Ichihashi’s 240-page book reveals that he spent some weeks in Tokyo while the police tried to trace him. He then travelled to the northerly prefecture of Aomori, where he lived rough during the summer, before deciding to go on a pilgrimage of some of the 88 temples that make up the sacred Buddhist route through the mountains of the island of Shikoku.
During this journey, Mr Ichihashi said he wished that Hawker could “come back to life.”
He subsequently spent time on the tiny island of Oha, which has a circumference of less than two miles and is home to just four families.
Mr Ichihashi wrote that he lived in a concrete bunker, living on wild fruit, fish that he was able to catch and cook over an open fire and even eating snakes.
Terrified that he was going to be identified he tried to change his looks by removing two distinctive moles from his cheek with a box cutter, slicing off part of his lower lip with a pair of scissors to make it appear thinner and changing the shape of his nose by sewing it with a needle and thread.
As his money ran short, he picked up labouring jobs on construction sites in Osaka and Kobe, but never staying at one place very long before moving on. He was, however, able to earn close to Y1 million (£7,705) over a period of two years, which he spent on cosmetic surgery.
Mr Ichihashi described the work he carried out, which was mostly the demolition of old buildings, as “tough,” but wrote “this is the price I have to pay. Hawker had to suffer more pain. I took Lindsay’s life and that fact does not change.”
The book reveals that Mr Ichihashi was careful to avoid closed-circuit security cameras in shops and would not look people in the eye. He also usually wore a hat and the white face masks that Japanese people frequently wear during the winter or at the height of the hay-fever season.
During his 31 months on the run, he read the Harry Potter series of books, “The Catcher in the Rye” and “Kafka on the Shore,” by Haruki Murakami.
He was eventually caught in Nov 2009 while waiting to board a ferry to return to Okinawa.
Mr Ichihashi does not comment on the killing of Hawker in the book or his motives, but it does include an apology.
He said the book was “a gesture of contrition for the crime I committed” and that royalties from the book would be given from Ms Hawker’s family.
Bill and Linda Hawker, in a statement issued through their legal representative in London, say they have no intention of accepting the money and only want to see justice for their daughter in a Japanese court.
ENDS
RELATED ARTICLES
Lindsay Hawker ‘killer’ wants to donate book proceeds to family 25 Jan 2011
Lindsay Hawker murder: timeline 25 Jan 2011
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The Japan Times, Thursday, Jan. 27, 2011
Ichihashi recalls manhunt stress
By JUN HONGO Staff writer
Full article at http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20110127a1.html
Accused killer Tatsuya Ichihashi’s book released Wednesday offers anecdotal accounts of his 31-month life on the run, from fears of being caught and listening to radio updates on the manhunt, to moments of awe over nature, to how he abstained from sex because of what he had done, and how it may feel to be hanged.
He writes about his determination to alter his appearance to keep one step ahead of the law, and how he even dared a visit to Tokyo Disneyland, but offers no insights into why Briton Lindsay Ann Hawker was slain in his Chiba apartment.
As reported earlier, Ichihashi said he wrote the 283-page book “as part of an act of contrition” for Hawker’s slaying and added he is “aware of the criticism it may bring on me.”…
Confessing he had “no courage to commit suicide,” he eventually decided to take shelter on Ohajima, a tiny island off Kumejima in Okinawa that he learned about in a library book.
There, he gathered fish, crabs, snakes and sea cucumbers for food but had a hard time finding fresh water. During the daytime he kept to a cavelike shelter on the island to avoid being spotted by locals and tourists, he wrote…
The book, “Taiho Sarerumade — Kuuhaku no Ninen Nanakagetsu no Kiroku” (“Before I Was Arrested — Records of the Blank Two Years and Seven Months”), published by Gentosha Inc., spans the time between Ichihashi’s flight from police at his Chiba apartment in March 2007 to the moment of his arrest at an Osaka terminal for an Okinawa-bound ferry in November 2009.
Ichihashi’s trial is expected to start later this year, and it may be one involving lay judges.
ENDS
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市橋被告、自分で下唇切る整形手術…ハサミで
（2011年1月26日12時40分 読売新聞）
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/national/news/20110126-OYT1T00459.htm
千葉県市川市で２００７年３月、英国人女性リンゼイ・アン・ホーカーさん（当時２２歳）が遺体で見つかった事件で殺人などの罪で起訴された市橋達也被告（３２）の逃亡中の行動が、２６日に出版された市橋被告の手記で明らかになった。
手記「逮捕されるまで 空白の２年７カ月の記録」（幻冬舎）によると、市橋被告が市川市の自宅マンションから捜査員を振り切って裸足で逃げ、０９年１１月に逮捕されるまで、行動は青森から沖縄まで二十数都府県に及んだ。途中、大阪などで土木作業などで金を稼ぎ、身の危険を感じると、沖縄の離島に潜伏し、魚やヘビを取って食べるなどしたほか、「リンゼイさんが生き返ると思った」と四国で遍路道を歩いたことも。また、市橋被告が自らハサミで下唇を切るなどして整形を試みたことも記されている。
捜査関係者の話では、市橋被告は千葉県警の調べに対し、事件の詳細や逃亡生活についてほとんど語ることはなく、出版を知った県警が最近になって離島に捜査員を派遣するなどしたという。
手記では、印税をリンゼイさん遺族に渡すか公益のために使うとしているが、リンゼイさんの父ウィリアムさんは代理人を通じ、「まだ法廷に立ってもいない市橋被告が、手記の執筆、出版を許されたことに嫌悪感を感じる。手記は家族をさらに傷つけるだけで、私たちが望むのは公正な裁きだけだ」とコメントした。
ENDS
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市橋被告、離島の小屋でヘビ食べた 逃亡生活を手記に
朝日新聞 2011年1月26日3時1分
http://www.asahi.com/national/update/0125/TKY201101250487.html
千葉県市川市で２００７年３月、英会話講師の英国人女性リンゼイ・アン・ホーカーさん（当時２２）が遺体で見つかった事件で、殺人などの罪で起訴された住所不定、無職市橋達也被告（３２）が、一昨年１１月に大阪市内で逮捕されるまで、沖縄の離島に長期間潜伏するなどの逃亡生活を送っていたことがわかった。
市橋被告が２６日に幻冬舎から発売する「逮捕されるまで 空白の２年７カ月の記録」で明らかにした。
手記などによると、潜伏先の一つは、沖縄本島から西に約１００キロの久米島沖合にあるオーハ島。周囲約２．７キロの島は、４世帯６人が住民登録をしているだけだ。
島東部の密林地帯。沖縄に自生するヤシの木をかき分けて進むと、市橋被告が潜伏していたという小屋が姿を現した。コンクリートがむきだしの室内には、床に釣り具やペットボトルなどがあり、火をおこしたような跡もあった。
弁護士によると、市橋被告は逃走中にこの島を少なくとも３回は訪れた。持ち込んだ食料や海で釣った魚、捕獲したヘビなどを食べながら、１回の訪問につき数カ月間、この小屋に滞在したという。
手記では、事件発生直後から日本中を逃避行した足取りを記している。発生直後は東京・秋葉原から埼玉、静岡へ。新潟や青森にも行き、お遍路回りで四国全県を回った。大阪や兵庫、沖縄では、土木建築作業員として合計２年以上働いていたという。名古屋の病院で整形手術をしたことにも触れている。
千葉県警は、逃亡生活の実態は市橋被告が話さなかったため、把握していなかった。出版社側から発売の連絡を受けて、情報を確認するため、オーハ島に捜査員十数人を派遣。２３日、市橋被告の潜伏先とされる小屋を確認した。
市橋被告が手記をまとめたのは昨年末。市橋被告の意向を受けて、弁護団が出版社と連絡を取ったという。弁護団は「被告が被害者のご遺族に対し、自分がなし得ることはないかと真摯（しんし）に考えてとった行動」と書面で説明しているが、現時点ではホーカーさんの遺族側と賠償金の交渉は行われていないという。
ENDS
43 comments on “Suspected murderer of Lindsay Ann Hawker, Ichihashi Tatsuya, publishes book about his experiences. Ick.”
I see no remorse. Its just a way to get the Japanese public to protest his possible execution. A spoiled rich kid in Japan who was rejected by a foriegn woman takes out his revenge.
Neither Ishihashi nor Sagawa would enjoy celebrity status if their victims were Japanese. How hypocritical that so many Japanese were outraged at the QI show as being insensitive, yet will not raise an eyebrow at Ishihashi’s book being published.
Who on earth would want to buy such a book?!
Lots of books on the reading list, and this won’t be one of them.
“Who on earth would want to buy such a book?!”
Oh, you’d be surprised. There are plenty of people who are fascinated enough by murderers, serial killers, and other violent criminals to buy a book like this; take OJ’s similar book, for example. There’s an entire sub-culture of normal people who are obsessed with murderers. Don’t ask me why.
— Primal blood lust, I assume.
“Who on earth would want to buy such a book?!”
Would you believe me if I said he even had a following outside the police station during the interrogation?
Girls were going wild for what they described as a handsome- and rugged guy.
Fan clubs were set up. Thousands joined. Here’s a screen:
http://livedoor.2.blogimg.jp/dqnplus/imgs/a/e/ae451dab.jpg
Many claimed he was innocent because he was too cute to commit murder.
Legally, can anyone incarcerated in Japan write and publish a book (provided they have someone on the outside willing to make the necessary arrangements)? If so, is there a lot of vernacular prison literature, including books dealing with prison conditions? If not, how do you suppose Ichihashi was able to get away with it? I’m assuming there was some serious string-pulling, deal-making, rule-bending going on here.
This man sounds like the Ted Bundy of Japan. A rapist and murderer with a fanbase. As for why people read these books, some of us study Criminology and other related studies and read these for insight….and sometimes for morbid curiosity. I say, hang the guy and let him hang out(no pun intended) with Tsutomu Miyazaki where ever people like him go.
— Wait for a conviction until you say that, please.
As far as his motives go, I did read that after violating her, she grabbed him and he grabbed her throat or something of the sort and he “accidentally” killed her. (This would explain her dying by asphyxiation ). And he did not mean to kill her, just to make sure she does not harm him. I’m not trying to excuse him or anything, but those are the “motives” I guess.
I’m just waiting for the 死刑 to be announced.
Call me sick, but as a student of psychology I was a bit interested as to why someone would do something so brutal. It’s not that I like him, but wouldn’t it be good to know the motives of such people?
I still don’t understand Issei Sagawa’s case. Yes, his dad was a rich man in Kansai but I don’t understand how he still got off after being transferred to Japan from France.
— According to sources I cannot reveal at this time, Ichihashi allegedly did a lot more to her body than just choke her.
Well it’s hard to see any reasonable way in which someone should be legally prevented from writing what they want, especially before any trial. In the UK, I believe convicts are prevented from making money from their stories, but not from telling them, so his plan to donate the profits would be ok even if/when he’s convicted. I would hope (perhaps in vain) that not many people would buy it and/or give him free publicity about it though.
“Would you believe me if I said he even had a following outside the police station during the interrogation?”
I believe it. Even AUM guys like Fumihiro Joyu had huge followings. And then you have kids wearing Charles Manson shirts in the US and whatnot. Even infamous people become pop culture icons at some point, Hitler being the most obvious example. It’s pretty sick.
@Bill
He’s not “incarcerated” as in “sentenced to prison”, he’s merely in pre-trial detention. He’s not been convicted of anything yet, so far from “getting away with” anything, he’s merely exercising his rights as citizen. Once (if?) convicted, things will change rapidly.
I can’t get my head round the idea that anyone really believes that money could possibly compensate in any way at all for the loss of a daughter/sister:(
A repulsive book by a repulsive human being.
He killed her after persuading her into his apartment to live out his fantasy. The spoiled child in him couldn’t handle rejection, and he lost it. Or it was his plan all along to brutalize her. The latter seems more likely, given his deep inner need to remain free. He showed deep calculation in his movements and actions after the murder. There was no sense of panic in how he set about disposing of the body.
I confess myself to being fascinated by criminals like Ichihashi, but I’m smart enough to know that if you want to seek the truth about these individuals, you’ll read a book by a respected journalist, not a self serving half fiction by a self serving nutcase. One of my favorite reads ever was a brilliant book by a Sydney journalist on the investigation that led to the conviction of backpacker killer Ivan Milat. I’ve never read a word of anything by Mark “Chopper” Read though, and never will.
This publication is a national disgrace. It will pollute the lay judge pool. I’m not confident, but I hope there’s enough intelligent locals out there in the potential jury pool that will see right through it and let this guy swing.
>How hypocritical that so many Japanese were outraged at the QI show as being insensitive, yet will not raise an eyebrow at Ishihashi’s book being published.
I think this is largely a conjecture on your part. Everyone Japanese person I’ve explained the QI protest to (of those that are even aware of it) has found it silly and pointless, and I haven’t heard a single voice in support of this book. Doubtless there are some Japanese that will buy it, but those I speak to find it as distasteful as the next guy.
“Ichihashi’s trial is expected to start later this year, and it may be one involving lay judges.”
Normally I just shake my head when I see this added to reports, as a goodly chunk of those eligible-to-serve jijis and babas in my old neighborhood would make double-parking and non-recycling of cans capital offences if they could. And normally I don’t support the death penalty.
I’ll make two exceptions in this case.
I find this utterly revolting. I believe in free speech, of course, but I also see this ‘book’ for what it is: a pathetic attempt at grabbing sympathy from the public, maybe especially from those women who ‘claimed he was innocent because he was too cute to commit murder’ (the ones Marius was talking about.)
I wonder if things would be different if Ichihashi murdered a Japanese woman instead… Maybe these airheads can’t relate enough to Lindsay Ann Hawker and they twist what he did based on that? Either way, since there was talk about protests on this forum, now would be a good time for NJs and sensible Js to protest this book. Let the criminal be shown as he is, not as a romanticized version of a ‘handsome and rugged fugitive who went through hardships’.
— Okay. The publisher (Gentosha Inc.) has its contact details at
http://www.gentosha.co.jp/
http://www.gentosha.co.jp/ir/contactus.php
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UPDATE:
The Japan Times reports (excerpt):
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20110126a2.html
The editor in charge of the book said she contacted Ichihashi’s lawyer last June to offer to publish the fugitive’s story, whereupon she received a positive response. At present there are no plans for an English translation, she told The Japan Times.
— In other words, the publisher approached him for the story. I smell less attempt at contrition, more corporate profit motive. What ghouls.
Exploring the crime, confessing, and professing remorse are important sentence reduction factors in Japan, even when they are totally false. The form is important.
It seems to me this very devious and resourceful murdering bully and rapist , with his rich family and smart lawyers, are employing a sentence reduction strategy that will, I entirely fear, work.
Awful.
Currently #1 for books at Amazon Japan
http://www.amazon.co.jp/逮捕されるまで-空白の2年7カ月の記録-市橋-達也/dp/4344019415/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1296134016&sr=8-1
Ok, Debito, and other decent people, how do we target these worms legally in a way that wil shame them, and more importantly shame people away from buying their books? I mean ALL their publications.
Are bookstores carrying this? Has anyone seen it on a bookshelf?
What do we write in Japanese for maximum effect? Is there a petition out there yet?
What do we say to shop staff if Japanese when we see it (I’m intermediate level, but I want to study a bit so I’m ready to deliver both barrels when I see this book)
What if anything, has been heard from the Hawkers? I hope they understand what a ruse this is to get off with a lighter sentence, and how things work in Japan. Their fight isn’t over yet. Vigilance and activism is needed here. Let’s do this. Spread the word.
I think there are a significant number of people in every country in the world who would like to read this kind of thing for titillation purposes, admittedly I think sadly Japan is one of the countries (not the only one by any means) that does have a particular affinity with horror, perhaps in part because violent crime is so low, everyday stress so high and also perhaps because of a lack of education about atrocities committed elsewhere in the world and historically (not least by the Imperial Army in WWII).
However, let’s be clear, the vast majority of Japanese will be just as disgusted by this as anyone from the West will be and the nationality of the victim will not be relevant.
As for Ichihashi Tatsuya, I am NOT interested in why he killed her and nor IMHO should most people. Human brains are just very complex computers (whether or not there is some kind of soul at the centre), they can and do go wrong in a million different ways if a small or large part get damaged, wasn’t working in the first place, was put under unnatural strain or if a combination of genes comes together to make someone unusually violent and unable to control their violent, psychotic tenancies. No mystery there.
By seeing things this way, does it deny murderers’ culpability, probably to an extent, yes. But it also recognises that people who kill without reasonable motive are likely beyond rehabilitation and for these people I say confine them to a mental hospital indefinitely. Revenge won’t bring anyone back and execution by the state just adds another morbid twist which will further titillate the sickos and possibly make some kind of a legend out of such murderers.
Who do we contact at Amazon jp? In English? Japanese? Both? Is it worth having a go at Amazon international? Regular customers out there want to take their business elsewhere?
How many stupid ingrates have bought this drivel? I am disgusted that this book above all others is currently a bestseller? Ugh.
On Amazon Japan, at the time of writing there are a lot more negative reviews (many complaining that the book shouldn’t have been allowed) than there are positive ones (obviously you don’t need to have bought or read a book to review it on Amazon).
Also just to say, because of the way Amazon ranks its products, it doesn’t take many sales to put a book at #1 for a day or two, so it doesn’t necessarily mean sales are massive.
You can write to customer services at Amazon Japan in English or Japanese, although Japanese will get you a much quicker response.
Personally though I am not sure this book is necessarily bad enough for Amazon to take it upon itself to censor, and I am not even sure we should be asking it to do so. When you try to restrict free speech you really need to be sure you are on absolutely solid footing. The danger of damaging free speech is that there is a creep towards greater and greater censorship until you have a situation where governments can get away with anything, including far worse atrocities than those you were originally trying to prevent with the original censorship.
Then there’s the kudos that comes from something being banned, attempts to censor it might just give it even more publicity and make people even more inclined to read it.
Still to a large degree I suppose it depends on exactly what the book says. If it could be argued the book directly encourages copycats then I would probably agree that it should be censored wherever possible, but I’d still listen to any counter arguments with an open mind.
Ah, yes, excuse my “guilty until proven innocent” mindset.
I would not object to this book if some third party writer wrote about the crime as it was. I do not like the idea of the suspect telling his story the way that he would want everyone to see it. I read The Stranger Beside Me by Ann Rule. Would I have read it if Ted Bundy wrote it? No, I would not. It would only let him “win”. Of course, this is only my personal opinion. I am not sure if there is anything we can or should do here in this case.
Oddly enough, when Noriko Sakai published her book I cynically thought “What next, Ichihashi’s memoirs?”
A few things concern me about the publication of this book.
Ichihashi is NOT an incarcerated criminal. He’s an accused awaiting trial. Is the publication of any statement by the accused before trial even legal? It could have a huge bearing on the case, especially if it goes before lay judges.
1) He’s “come clean”, he went on pilgrimages, he’s offering all proceeds of his book to the victim’s family. There’s potentially enough “hansei” to stay a potential death sentence.
2) The book describes all the “hardships” he “endured” while on the run. Again, any lay judge who has read the book might be inclined to think that the man has suffered enough and push for leniency.
3) By becoming a published writer, he elevates his status to minor celebrity, which is more likey to result in favourable treatment.
4) Lay judges could confuse anything in the book with actual legal evidence.
5) Assuming he is found guilty only of murder, he could conceivably be out of prison in 20 years. The Hawkers have refused to take the proceeds of the book… a nice little nest egg for the future?
Like Debito, I have a sinking feeling about this.
Chris, there’ll be lay judges in the jury pool. Ichihashi and his lawyers know they’re fighting a PR battle, especially with the death penalty being an option. The book could influence that, and from a social science perspective, or plain jurisprudence, should be barred from sale until after the trial.
Then there’s a moral issue. It’s a wanton money making exercise by a publishing company, cashing in on Lindsay Hawkers death. It is sick. End of story.
And Ichihashi doesn’t have a drop of philanthropic blood in him. Anyone whos followed this case knows this guy is all ego. This book is about him, and currying sympathy for he, the persecuted. His groupies believe it, and they should hang with him for gross stupidity. If he had his way with them, he could be Ted Bundy, in terms of numbers of victims.
I sent a protest letter (signed by myself and my husband) at comment@gentosha.co.jp. For those wanting to know, here’s what we said (please excuse the sloppy Japanese, we did our best):
先日ニュースから出版された本「逮捕されるまで 空白の２年７カ月の記録」のことをしりました。この本の出版へ強く私の抗議を伝えたいです。
一部の人は市橋タツヤについて興味を持っているかもしれません。それにもかかわらずこの男は殺人者です。殺されたLindsay Ann HawkerとHawkerさんの家族と日本にいる外国人の女の人みんなにとってこの本を出版することはあくまでも無礼で非情なことだと私らが思います。
そのため「逮捕されるまで 空白の２年７カ月の記録」の販売を中断してHawkerさんの家族へのお詫びをしたほうがいいと私らが強く思います。
I think the only way Gentosha can be pressured into pulling this book is if there is a -strong- public outcry against it. One e-mail can’t accomplish much, so the more people send in their complaints, the better.
I wonder where’s BBC now? They have enough power and influence to at least make the Japanese government thin of pulling this book out of the market.
As for Ichihashi, if his parents are so ashamed of him why are they paying for his lawyer?
Debito san, as a foreign woman in Japan, I’ve had seen and heard enough disgusting stuff from Japanese guys. And if the law doesn’t protect us, what can we do? If the Japanese society thinks its no big deal to abuse or kill foreign woman, that NJ women’s lives are less valuable, what can we do?I remember a 40something biology professor who was on exchange program here for 3 months, and even she was chased on the street several times by some guy who wanted to spend time with her..If this happens to a Japanese professor, the place will be swirming with cops!I was groped in a department store right in front of a store clerk and he just grinned with kind of sick satisfaction.Is there any way to make Japanese society understand that we, NJ women, have the same value as the Japanese women, and need same protection and help?
Actually I think under UK law the publisher would have committed an offence, by making public details of the case before the trial they would be in danger of prejudicing the trial and preventing the accused getting a fair trial, not least as AJ points out, because it would influence potential jurors or in Japan lay judges. In the UK I think the judge would ask the jurors if they had read about the case and if they had they would be passed over for jurors who had not. Looks like there could be a glitch in Japanese law if this kind of thing is allowed to happen.
Just to clarify what I was saying earlier, I think it is sick and wish it hadn’t been published, but I would put free speech and freedom from censorship above my own personal opinions, but that’s not to say that if almost everyone thought it should be banned it wouldn’t be a different matter. (Some things we can all agree should never be allowed to see the light of day.)
@Joe
Ichihashi is incarcerated, in the sense that he is being confined, presumably against his will, behind bars, by police. So I repose my question: Is any incarcerated Japanese citizen free to publish a pre-trial book with details about their alleged crime? There’s plenty of evidence on this blog of how flexible and selective (i.e., not blind) Japanese justice can be when it comes to NJ. So I can’t help but wonder if it also makes distinctions among Japanese detainees when celebrity, notoriety, status, money, or influence are involved.
While I do think the book is tasteless, I don’t see how events after the escape can have any bearing on the case. He’s being tried for events prior to that. Events pertaining to the (alleged) crime would be another matter. From press reports, the book does not cover that.
@Hikaru, in Sagawa’s case, the documents needed for his conviction were mysteriously lost in transit from France to Japan.
“However, Japanese authorities found it to be legally impossible to hold him, purportedly because they lacked certain important papers from the French court.” (wikipedia)
At least this can’t happen this time.I hope.
Context. Saying that this books is #1 is not so impressive when you look at what else happens to be best sellers. The Amazon Japan book rank list is here:
http://www.amazon.co.jp/gp/bestsellers/books/
I generally read 4-6 Japanese books a month, but I will likely pass on nearly all of these “best sellers”. (Only #8 looks promising.)
1. 逮捕されるまで 空白の2年7カ月の記録
Until I was arrested: a record of the blank two years and seven months
2. 女医が教える 本当に気持ちのいいセックス
A female doctor explains: sex that feels really good
3. AKB48 友撮 THE RED ALBUM
AKB48 Friend photos, The Red Album
4. AKB48 友撮 THE BLUE ALBUM
AKB48 Friend photos, The Blue Album
5. モンスターハンター フロンティア オンライン フロンティア通信 シーズン10
Monster Hunter Frontier Online, Frontier Communication Season 10
6. 富の未来図
A future map of fortunes
7. バカとテストと召喚獣9
Stupidity, tests, and summoned beasts part 9
8. 苦役列車
The drudgery train
9. ２分間英語脳トレーニング~スクランブルエッグ~「とっさの英語」が出てくる！魔法のトレーニング
English brain training in 2 minutes; scrambled eggs. Instantaneous English! Magic training
10. 中川翔子×蜷川実花写真集 『 しょこれみかんぬ 2 』
Nakagawa Shōko x Ninagawa Mika Photo collection “Shokore Mikannu 2”
I doubt that Amazon Japan is very representative of actual book readers.
Just for reference, take a look at how different the rankings are for other resellers:
Book 1st
http://www.book1st.net/ranking/0001/0001/page1.html
Bunkyōdō
http://www.jbook.co.jp/p/p.aspx/bun_realrank_01_2/
On the other hand, if you take a look at Rakuten–another online reseller–you will see similar rankings as Amazon Japan:
http://books.rakuten.co.jp/book/rank/
It is more likely that Ichikawa’s book is just popular online and not very representative of actual society.
Revision: As it appears Ichihashi’s book is mainly about his flight from justice, I should have asked “Is any incarcerated Japanese citizen free to publish a pre-trial book with information that could be influential at trial?”
@Norik
Maybe I’ve missed something here, but I find your BBC comment a little hard to follow. The BBC has no “power” at all over the actions of a publishing company in the UK, never mind Japan. And there’d be justified uproar if it came to light that a UK state-run broadcasting organisation were trying to influence the activities of a democratically-elected foreign government.
@Bill
It doesn’t contain any details of his alleged crime, it’s about his time on the run.
Again, he’s not been convicted of any crime, he’s got access to the outside world through his lawyer, so I don’t see how he couldn’t possibly be free to write and publish his book. On what grounds could he be prevented?
James Anan, lay judge pool, sympathy, apology, non J victim, fake remorse for lower sentence, duh.
TBS, your favorite Soka Gakkai affiliated tv channel, ran a special on Ichihashis …adventure… saturday night.
People in the surrounding of his hideout interviewed, recieving a fantastic array of kind words spoken in regards to Tatsuya, in a segment that I could only see as a promotion of the coming book. Also in the segment it had to be mentioned, and underlined, that a shack he may have stayed in were actually American Army leftovers.
The prelude on their page:
“★市橋被告が２年７か月の逃亡生活の手記を出版★
２００７年３月、英国人女性リンゼイ・アン・ホーカーさん(当時２２歳)が遺体で見つかった事件で殺人や強姦などの罪で起訴された市橋達也被告(３２)の逃亡中の行動が、２６日に出版された本人の手記で明らかになった。そこには市橋被告が自宅マンションから捜査員を振り切り裸足で逃げ、沖縄本島から西に８５km離れたオーハ島での暮らし、そして２００９年１１月に逮捕されるまでの行動が生々しく語られていた…”
http://www.tbs.co.jp/jouhou7/
According to a reliable, anonymous source, the decision to publish this disgusting book is obviously that of Gentosha President Kenjo （見城） himself, though the editor is someone else.
Gentosha is not a large company and it’s fairly accessible, any complaints should be made straight to the top and the person responsible; President Kenjo himself.
I just finished reading the book today (I’m one of those weird people who likes true crime), and it’s pathetic. It really seems to be a huge pity party in hopes of getting a lighter sentence. He complains and complains about how hard life is on the run–walking through water (oh no!), working with asbestos, and (most shocking!!!) not having fun at Tokyo Disneyland!)–with random mentions of “Oh, yea, I feel bad for what I did.”
One part that really got to me was when some tabloid show he caught on TV mentioned that he became a gay prostitute. He had the audacity to whine about it and then say that he wasn’t a sexual pervert; he was completely outraged by the accusations and showed more emotion for that false bit of information than he ever did for Lindsay. I guess rape and murder are better than being a gay prostitute…?
Regardless of who made the first contact regarding the book deal, it’s a thinly veiled attempt at getting sympathy and money. For every time he mentions Lindsay there are ten more stories of how difficult he has it. The fact that people actually believe any of the false remorse he expresses is disgusting, and I really don’t understand why there are fan clubs out there made up of women. How could any self-respecting woman feel anything but contempt for a monster like Ichihashi?
@Bla
‘I really don’t understand why there are fan clubs out there made up of women. How could any self-respecting woman feel anything but contempt for a monster like Ichihashi?’
Don’t you get it? he’s not a psycho, pervert, or a monster. He didn’t mean to kill her, I’m sure that she really liked him! It was all just a terrible misunderstanding and an unfortunate accident. And as you can tell from his book (on sale at all good book stores now!), he feels just terrible about what happened, and he just hasn’t been able to feel good himself since! (NB; sarcasm).
Japan is a land where ‘remorse’ is seriously taken into account when sentencing. In the face of a potential death penalty, the book and it’s surrounding attention in the J-media should been seen as a cynical attempt to influence potential jury members pre-trial, in the hope of leniency. offering to give the proceeds from book sales to the victims family was all part of this charade. Rather than being seen as a sign of remorse, the J-legal system should wise up a little and see this for the cold, calculated, manipulative, and callously self-serving behaviour that it really is.
Why isn’t the UK gov applying some pressure on the victims familys behalf? China is more important than Japan now, so they have nothing to lose.
Unfortunately, the death penalty would have applied only if Ishihashi had been found guilty of murder and rape. There was no proof beyond reasonable doubt of a rape taking place (the only witness to that was murdered…), and the cops didn’t /couldn’t get a confession out of him.
But I agree that the book was all about “hansei” to lighten his sentence and feather his nest.