Man ordered to spend 12 years behind bars for raping own daughters

The Mainichi Shimbun
December 28, 2007
Source: http://mdn.mainichi.jp/national/archive/news/2007/12/28/20071228p2a00m0na013000c.html

UEDA, Nagano -- A man was ordered Friday to spend 12 years behind bars for persistently raping his daughters.

The Ueda branch of the Nagano District Court convicted the 38-year-old unemployed man of rape.

"The defendant's crime is selfish and malicious as it violated the victims' dignity," Presiding Judge Yasushi Kawaguchi said as he handed down the ruling. "The mental and physical suffering of the victims is immeasurable and it will have a negative impact on them in the future."

The man, whose name is being withheld to protect the victims' privacy, raped his own daughters at their home in Nagano Prefecture between May and July this year, according to the ruling.

The defendant reportedly began to molest his daughters in 2003 under the pretext of discipline. He started raping them in 2004 while his wife was away from home, according to sources close to the victims.

The incident came to light after one of the victims consulted with her school. After being alerted by the municipal government that has jurisdiction over the school, local police arrested the father in August for rape. He pleaded guilty to the charges during his trial.

The ages of the daughters have been withheld to protect their privacy.

（Mainichi Japan） December 28, 2007