A police officer has been arrested for forcing a masseuse to give him a massage free of charge by threatening to accuse her of illegal business practices, Tokyo police officials said Saturday.
Kazuzo Watanabe, 57, an assistant inspector at the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), stands accused of compulsion and abuse of authority as a public officer.
The MPD is apologetic about the incident. "It was an act unworthy of a police officer. We apologize to the victim and intend to take strict punitive measures against the officer," an MPD spokesman said.
Watanabe summoned the woman to a police station in October and told her to give him her mobile phone number and e-mail address, telling her that the information was necessary to confirm the legitimacy of her business practices, MPD officials said.
He then threatened to report her business to prosecutors for illegal business practices, and received massages from her on two occasions without paying, according to investigators.
Watanabe subsequently sent her more than 10 e-mails to her asking her to date him, forcing the woman to close her business.
強要：警視庁警部補が女性脅し無料マッサージ 交際も迫る
警視庁は７日、女性を脅して無料でマッサージをさせたなどとして、蔵前署刑事生活安全組織犯罪対策課係長（警部補）、渡辺和三（かずぞう）容疑者（５７）＝東京都狛江市岩戸南４＝を強要と公務員職権乱用容疑で逮捕したと発表した。
調べでは、渡辺容疑者は昨年１０月、マッサージ店（台東区）経営の３０代女性を署に呼び出し、営業実態の把握を装い携帯電話の番号やメールアドレスを聞き出した。「取り締まるぞ」などと脅し、一般マッサージを２回無料でさせた疑い。
渡辺容疑者は交際に応じるよう迫り、十数回メールを送信していた。女性は「警察を敵に回したくなかった」などと話しているという。ショックなどから閉店した。
▽中村格警務部参事官の話 警察官にあるまじき行為で極めて遺憾だ。被害者におわびするとともに、厳正に対処したい。
Mainichi
March 7, 2008
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