Who pays when love goes sour?
With the faux romanticism of Valentine’s now firmly in the past, Yahoo! Japan brings us firmly back into reality with a story of a courtship gone sour.
A 48-year old man thought he had met his marriage partner at a konkatsu party [“marriage hunting” party where people looking to find a marriage partner can meet a potential spouse] and proceeded to woo the 27-year old woman over a series of dates and short breaks. When the woman decided she was no longer interested after ten dates, the man is alleged to have started threatening her, and asking for his money back.
But is it really reasonable for disgruntled former lovers expect reimbursement? Netizens don’t think so.
From Yahoo! Japan:
Man Threatens Potential Marriage Partner “Give Me Back The 180,000 Yen The Dates Cost Me”
On February 13, the Shakujii division of the Tokyo Metropolitan police arrested life insurance company employee Munakata Keisuke (48) from Tsunashima Higashi, Kohoku ward, Yokohama, on suspicion of intimidation for sending threatening letters to a woman he met at a party where people were looking for potential marriage partners.
According to the announcement, from December 2013 to January 2014, Munakata is alleged to have mailed and delivered threatening letters saying things such as “Take care of yourself. You never know when something might happen to you” to the woman’s (27) home in Nerima, Tokyo.
In September of last year, Munakata met the woman at a party for people looking to meet marriage partners, and the pair went on around 10 dates for meals and breaks. In early December, when the woman contacted him to say that she was no longer interested in dating him, he threatened her on the telephone, saying “Well give me back the 180,000 yen [approx. 1767] I paid out for dates”.
The police gave Munakata a verbal warning to stop calling the woman and sending her texts after she had been to the police for advice. As regards the police investigation, Munakata has testified that “I did ask for the money I had paid out for dates to be reimbursed, but I did not threaten her”.
Comments from 2ch.net:
パイルドライバー(東京都):
He’s such a petty man that it’s no wonder he got to 48 and is still single.
オリンピック予選スラム(東京都):
This guy is never going to be able to marry.
レッドインク(兵庫県):
You AKB otakus out there need to look and learn.
アルゼンチンバックブリーカー(富山県):
Wow, so petty…I bet his face is pretty bad too…
ツームストンパイルドライバー(三重県):
She was right to break up with him. And there’s no need for her to return the money he paid for dates.
ファイヤーバードスプラッシュ(関東・甲信越):
Is this guy stupid?
He’s way too petty.
Better if he just goes to prostitutes and stays single for the rest of his life.
フランケンシュタイナー(やわらか銀行):
I’m a bit concerned about what kind of dates these were.
32文ロケット砲(東京都):
This is entirely the woman’s fault, she wouldn’t pay the money back.
He should have sued her fair and square.
ミドルキック(東京都):
It’s a bit of a mystery as to why she went on so many dates with a man like that.
腕ひしぎ十字固め(dion軍):
A man like that is the archetype of a man who won’t ever get married.
膝靭帯固め(兵庫県)：
I think this is just plain old freeloading.
He was trying to be cool in front of her, guess he wanted to look like he had some money.
目潰し(中国・四国)：
To say give back the money I used on the dates — it’s just spiteful and shallow.
I guess this is what that guy is truly like.
They went on the dates together, and if they both enjoyed then what’s wrong with him paying? They both got something out of it.
ビッグブーツ(関東・甲信越):[in response to above]
I think that the real culprit here is that they didn’t share the cost of the dates where they shared the enjoyment.
クロイツラス(dion軍):
The main thing is that he met her at a konkatsu party.
Looks like he was really desperately wanting to marry, and she just played him and dumped him.
And what’s more, there’s the anger of spending 180000 yen.
It’s not like I don’t understand how he’s feeling, but dude, move on.
