Escaped rape suspect may have snatched purses in Osaka while on the run

Aug 17, 2018 | News On Japan

Aug 17, 2018 (Japan Times) - A rape suspect who escaped from an Osaka Prefecture police station earlier this week may have snatched purses from several people since going on the run, investigative sources said Thursday.

After Junya Hida, 30, disappeared from Tondabayashi Police Station in the suburbs of Osaka on Sunday evening, a series of purse thefts by a man on a black minibike have been reported in the vicinity every evening through Wednesday.

Given that Hida was also indicted over similar night-time thefts using a minibike in May, the police suspect he is taking money again.

Around the time he fled on Sunday, a black minibike was stolen in the Osaka city of Matsubara, where Hida resided.

Hida has been indicted on charges of rape, theft and robbery resulting in injury and was served a fresh arrest warrant last week on a charge of attempted rape. He had been detained for two and a half months. Shortly after meeting his lawyer at the police station on Sunday evening, Hida apparently smashed an acrylic partition in their meeting room and left through the same entrance the lawyer had used, the police said.

Among the purse-snatching cases, a man in a black T-shirt on a minibike allegedly stole a bag from a woman in her 20s from the front basket of her bicycle at around 9 p.m. Monday in nearby Habikino. The bag contained cash and a cellphone.

About an hour later, a similar case was reported in Osakaâ€™s Hirano Ward, according to the police.

Source: ANNnewsCH

Typhoons No. 28 and 29 Bring High Waves to Japan's Pacific Coast

Two typhoons moving across the Pacific southeast of Japan are expected to remain well away from the Japanese mainland, but powerful swells could bring rough seas to a wide stretch of the country's Pacific coastline throughout the three-day holiday weekend, according to forecasts updated at 3 a.m. on October 10.

Cyberattacks Spread Across Japan

A series of cyberattacks has disrupted business operations and exposed millions of customer records across Japan, with a ransomware attack on a cloud service provider affecting 495 companies and local governments nationwide, while convenience store operator Lawson has disclosed a separate breach involving more than 2.15 million personal information records.

Japan's First 360-Degree Projection Mapping Opens in Osaka

Japan's first 360-degree projection mapping show will open at the Osaka City Museum of Fine Arts on October 10, transforming the historic building into an immersive world of light, music, and seasonal imagery, with organizers hoping the attraction will also help stimulate the city's nighttime economy.

Tokyo University Professor Wins Nobel Prize in Chemistry

Tokyo University of Science professor emeritus Kenzo Soai has been awarded this year's Nobel Prize in Chemistry together with French chemist Henri B. Kagan for discoveries that transformed scientists' understanding of how chemical reactions can favor one of two mirror-image forms of a molecule.

US Military Halts All Okinawa Operations for 48 Hours

The US military suspended activities by all forces stationed in Okinawa for 48 hours from noon on October 7, an unusual measure following the arrest of a US Marine in connection with a robbery and murder case that has renewed scrutiny of crimes involving American service members.

MEDIA CHANNELS

MORE Society NEWS

Most Sightings of Fugitive Yoichi Hatta Reported in Kanto

Police in Oita Prefecture have revealed that the Kanto region accounts for the largest number of reported sightings of Yoichi Hatta, a fugitive wanted in connection with a fatal hit-and-run incident in Beppu in 2022, with authorities preparing to distribute new wanted posters nationwide from November as the search enters its fifth year.