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In Japan, anger over ‘outrageously light’ sentence for ex-lawmaker who raped 12-year-old girl

A Japanese court has triggered a furious public outcry by giving a former politician a suspended prison term for raping a 12-year-old girl, a decision observers have said reflects the country’s prejudices against young victims of sexual violence.

Tamotsu Shiiki, 58, was found guilty on Monday at the Tokyo District Court of nonconsensual sexual intercourse with the girl – who he had agreed to pay for sex – at a karaoke bar in Tokyo’s Kabukicho nightlife district in August.

Judge Chikako Murata told Shiiki that he had committed a “vile” crime, adding that he had “taken advantage of the victim’s immaturity and the physical and mental impact cannot be ignored”.

Nevertheless, the judge told the former two-term representative of the Japan Restoration Party in the Diet that as he had apologised, promised not to reoffend and paid compensation, a three-year prison sentence, suspended for five years, was “appropriate”.

“This is an outrageously light sentence for rape, particularly as the girl was so young,” said Sumie Kawakami, a lecturer at Yamanashi Gakuin University and author of a book on gender issues.

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