YouTuber who made bogus 'citizen's arrest' busted for defamation

Nov 14, 2023 | News On Japan

TOKYO - Japanese YouTuber "Rengoku Koroaki", known for citizen's arrest themed videos, has been apprehended for posting a video of a woman surrounded by 5 to 6 men while being falsely accused of reselling theatre tickets.

The YouTuber was arrested for allegedly defaming the teenager's reputation by accusing her of ticket scalping and filming her near the Imperial Theatre in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo, in September this year, and then posting the video online.

The woman claims she was simply meeting a friend and had not been involved in any ticket resale.

The 40-year-old suspect reportedly admitted to the allegations during questioning at the time of his arrest, with Tokyo police investigating whether others were involved in posting the video.

A 'citizen's arrest' refers to an ordinary person who is not a police officer arresting a person only in cases where they are caught red-handed. Currently, there are a number of videos being posted on social media showing people unilaterally approaching people suspected of crimes under the guise of arresting private individuals.

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