The head of JR West’s Kobe branch office was arrested on December 21 for allegedly groping a high school girl on one of Osaka’s Hanwa Line trains. The story first made news as a scandal while he was being held, with certain news outlets reporting that he had be repeatedly fondling the same girl for a period of two years.
The story resurged after he body was found in a public bathroom in what appears to be a suicide.
From MSN Japan:
JR West Executive Arrested For Alleged Molestation Charges Commits Suicide After Release
On December 25, around 9 p.m., local police near Osaka’s Higashisumiyoshi Ward found the body of Kinbira Hidehiko (56), JR West executive and head of the company’s Kobe branch office, hung in a public bathroom in Nagai Park. Police found a number of sealed letters in the area and are calling it a suicide.
Kinbira was arrested on December 21 after being caught groping the lower region of a high school girl on a train, detained with the charge of disturbing the peace, and released on December 23. He denied the charges, saying “I may have come in contact with her chest, but I don’t recall groping her”.
According to Higashisumiyoshi police, on December 25 at 7 p.m., his family reported him missing at the Abeno Police Station after having been gone since morning without telling them his whereabouts.
Police searched Nagai Park after learning from his family that he often took walks there. They found his body in a toilet stall that had be locked for an unusually long time. Rescue workers hurried to the scene but he had already passed away.
From 2ch:
名前をあたえないでください：
He was arrested on the 21st, released on the 23rd and then said he didn’t touch her? The hell was he doing those two years, then?
名前をあたえないでください：
1. First, she was touched in passing and didn’t say anything.
2. The next time, she was touched on purpose, but still didn’t say anything.
3. For a long time, she kept quiet while he continued. This is kinda nice.
4. Out of nowhere, she screams and that guy’s life ends after he gets arrested.
The king of taking-it-too-far (in other words, an idiot), couldn’t fathom this turn of events and was like “Ah crap, I’m done with life” wwwwwwwwwwwwwwww
名前をあたえないでください：
Even though he was a branch office head he was riding the train…
名前をあたえないでください：
Despite two years of consistent fondling, he finally gets caught and decides to quit life. Sounds a lot like Sumida. w He himself was probably pleased with the release that death gave him. However, I bet all the workers left behind at his office wish they could die, too. Even though he is gone, he is still causing people trouble. JR West, you’re pretty awful.
名前をあたえないでください：
Hey, if he denied it, it could be a false accusation, right? All over the world, even if there’s a little doubt it’s common sense not to persecute him until you figure out the truth. It’s implausible that a person denying the accusation would kill himself. What if someone killed him? Couldn’t that be a government plot?
From 2ch (via Matomenyuburo):
バリニーズ(山口県) :
I suppose the only logical move forward after this for a guy who’s career came that far is to commit suicide.
マーゲイ(大阪府):
Ugh. My heart goes out to his family.
チーター(WiMAX):
I won’t stop him from killing himself, but he’s an annoying bastard for doing it in a public restroom.
スナドリネコ(愛知県):
Is a girl’s ass really more important than a man’s life in this country? That’s really messed up.
イエネコ(中国・四国):
I don’t know if he really touched her or not, but if he didn’t he should have sued the police on the grounds of them arresting him, presuming he was guilty.
バーマン(やわらか銀行):
Is it normal for people who get apprehended and released to do this?
ライオン(岡山県):
When inside the train
Let’s leave both hands in the air
And ride it that way
[Note: Original post was in Haiku]
アメリカンボブテイル(栃木県):
This has got to be tough on that girl.
リビアヤマネコ(愛知県):
Isn’t “Kinbira” the most Korean name ever?
[Note: 金(‘Kin’), meaning ‘gold’, while a common surname in Korea, is a rare pronunciation in Japan. The pronunciation ‘Kane’ is more common]
ボンベイ:
In Kansai, couldn’t even Mr. ‘Kin’ find a job as a regular company?
スペインオオヤマネコ(dion軍):
Don’t get close to women. Whether it was a false charge or he succumbed to his carnal desires, either way the whole thing is dispicable.
