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The trial ends with a suspended sentence for the creator of Act-Age.
In August, the manga author Tatsuya Matsumoto (also known by his pseudonym, Tatsuya Matsuki), creator of Act-Age, was arrested for touching the chest of a 14-year-old girl in Tokyo when he passed her on his bicycle one night in June. Police identified Matsumoto through security camera footage, and the 29-year-old admitted there was “no mistake” regarding the allegations.
With any debate over Matsumoto’s guilt resolved so quickly, the question became what his punishment would be. With the memory of Rurouni Kenshin Creator Nobuhiro Watsuki only had to pay a fine after his arrest for possession of about 100 discs of child pornography, not everyone was counting on the Japanese justice system to be particularly harsh on Matsumoto, and while his sentence is arguably more severe, does not include any mandatory jail time.
Matsumoto’s trial came to an end in Tokyo District Court on Wednesday, with presiding judge Tota Akamatsu delivering the 18-month prison sentence the prosecution had been looking. However, the sentence will be suspended for three years, which means that Matsumoto you won’t have to spend a single night in jail as long as you stay on the right side of the law during the next three years, at which time your debt with the company will be considered paid.
It’s unclear how long Matsumoto has spent in police custody since his arrest on August 8, but even if he’s been locked up the entire time, that would amount to just four and a half months for groping a minor, plus the promise. not breaking the law further for at least the next three years, which is really not a great punishment considering that everyone is already bound to follow the law permanently.
During sentencing, Akamatsu described the crime as “Of an indecent and malicious nature” and berated Matsumoto for “Using the innocent victim as an outlet for the stress he was feeling” referring to Matsumoto’s explanation that he had been “feeling worried and uncomfortable about many things, but did not express it to anyone” at the time of the incident. Still, it is likely that the girl and her family would have preferred a stricter sentence to harsh words.
Sources: Livedoor News / Kyodo via Otakomu, Nihon Keizai Shimbun, NHK News Web
Cover image: Pakutaso (edited by SoraNews24)
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