Sano Fusako
Encyclopedia
is a Japanese
woman who was kidnapped
at age nine by Nobuyuki Satō (佐藤 宣行 Satō Nobuyuki), and held in captivity for nine years and two months from November 13, 1990 to January 28, 2000. In Japan, the case is also known as the .
Fusako Sano, then a fourth grade
elementary school
girl, disappeared on November 13, 1990 at age nine after watching a school baseball
game in her home town of Sanjō
, Niigata Prefecture
, Japan
. A huge police search failed to find the missing girl. Police even considered the possibility that she had been kidnapped by North Korean intelligence operatives
.
She had been kidnapped by Nobuyuki Satō
, then a 28-year-old mentally disturbed
unemployed Japanese man, who forced her into his car, and subsequently held her in the upstairs floor of his apartment in a residential area of Kashiwazaki
, Niigata Prefecture
for 9 years and two months. The house is only 200 meters from a kōban
(police substation), and 55 kilometers from the location where she was kidnapped.
for punishments if she did not videotape the horse racing
on TV. Sano was also threatened with a knife and beaten. Her kidnapper shared his men's clothes with her and gave her food three times per day, either instant food or meals cooked by his mother, who lived downstairs in the house. He also cut Sano's hair. Since there was no bath or toilet upstairs where Sano was confined, she was only able to take a bath infrequently, when permitted by her captor.
She spent most of her time in captivity listening to radio, and reportedly was allowed to watch TV only in the last year of her ordeal. While the door was never locked, Sano did not take a step outside for nine years. She later told the police: "I was too scared to escape and eventually lost the energy to escape."
Satō's mother lived downstairs and apparently had no contact with her son's captive, since he became very violent whenever she tried to go upstairs. However, police believe the mother must have had some knowledge of Ms Sano's presence; for example, it was alleged that she purchased feminine hygiene
products for the victim.
in January 1996, because her son had been acting strangely and was violent to her. She called again on January 12, 2000, and again on January 19, requesting a visit to her home. Officials finally visited the home on Friday, January 28, 2000. Subsequently, Satō caused a disturbance that resulted in police
being called to the scene. On this occasion, Sano, by then 19 years old, approached the officers and identified herself. She reportedly said:
Upon her rescue Sano was found to be healthy, although extremely thin and weak
due to lack of exercise: she could barely walk. She was also dehydrated
. Due to the lack of exposure to sunlight, she also had a very light skin tone
and suffered from jaundice
. While her body was that of a 19 year old woman, mentally she acted like a child. She also suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder
.
Soon after her release, Sano was reunited with her family. Her mother did not initially recognize her, since she had last seen her at age 9.
The local newspaper "Echigo Times" (越後タイムス) compared the incident to the "Yotsuya ghost story
," based on the address of Satō.
Football (soccer) team Albirex Niigata
, and goes to some of their games.
The Sano family refuses to comment on her ordeal.
In 2007 a new tragedy was added to her family when her father drowned in her presence in a pond where the two went for fun.
to criminal, and he was arrest
ed on February 11, 2000.
The Niigata court opened his trial on May 23, 2000. In the proceedings, the prosecutors acted very carefully to avoid further damage to Sano's mental health. The prosecution's case included even minor charges against Satō (for example, shoplifting of women's underwear) with the goal of putting him in jail
for as long as possible. Following a defense claim of criminal insanity
, on September 6, 2001 psychiatrist
s found Satō to be mentally fit to face the charges, and he subsequently admitted the main charges. In the first instance, on January 22, 2002, the Niigata District court sentenced him to 14 years out of a maximum of 15 years.
The defense appeal
ed on January 24, 2002, and the trial moved to the Tokyo High Court
. On October 12, 2002, the Tokyo High Court judge Toshio Yamada (山田 利夫 Yamada Toshio) sentenced Satō to 11 years, reducing the initial sentence.
Both the prosecution and the defense appealed on December 24, 2002, and the case moved to the Supreme Court of Japan
on December 10, 2002. On July 10, 2003 the Supreme Court judge Takehisa Fukazawa (深沢 武久 Fukazawa Takehisa) accepted the prosecution's arguments, with the result that Satō is currently serving a 14-year prison sentence.
Japanese people
The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
woman who was kidnapped
Kidnapping
In criminal law, kidnapping is the taking away or transportation of a person against that person's will, usually to hold the person in false imprisonment, a confinement without legal authority...
at age nine by Nobuyuki Satō (佐藤 宣行 Satō Nobuyuki), and held in captivity for nine years and two months from November 13, 1990 to January 28, 2000. In Japan, the case is also known as the .
Abduction
Fourth grade
Fourth grade is a year of education in the United States and many other nations. The fourth grade is the fourth school year after kindergarten. Students are usually 9 or 10 years old, depending on their birthday. It is a part of elementary school. In some parts of the United States, fourth grade...
elementary school
Elementary school in Japan
Shōgakkō are elementary schools in Japan.More than 99% of Japanese elementary school-age children are enrolled in school. All children enter first grade at age six, and starting school is considered a very important event in a child's life....
girl, disappeared on November 13, 1990 at age nine after watching a school baseball
Japanese baseball
Nippon Professional Baseball or NPB is the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called , meaning Professional Baseball. Outside of Japan, it is often just referred to as "Japanese baseball." The roots of the league can be traced back to the formation of the in 1934 and the...
game in her home town of Sanjō
Sanjo, Niigata
is a city located in central part of Niigata, Japan. The city has a Jōetsu Shinkansen stop at Tsubame-Sanjō Station.- Geography :Sanjō is located in the center of Niigata prefecture. It is about 2 hours from Tokyo by way of the Jōetsu Shinkansen or 4 hours on the Kan-Etsu Expressway and Hokuriku...
, Niigata Prefecture
Niigata Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Honshū on the coast of the Sea of Japan. The capital is the city of Niigata. The name "Niigata" literally means "new lagoon".- History :...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. A huge police search failed to find the missing girl. Police even considered the possibility that she had been kidnapped by North Korean intelligence operatives
North Korean abductions of Japanese
The abductions of Japanese citizens from Japan by agents of the North Korean government happened during a period of six years from 1977 to 1983. Although only 17 Japanese are officially recognized by the Japanese government as having been abducted, there may have been as many as 70 to 80...
.
She had been kidnapped by Nobuyuki Satō
Nobuyuki Sato
Nobuyuki Sato is a former Japanese marathon runner. After finishing second in the Fukuoka Marathon 1998 with his career best of 2:08:48, he won the bronze medal at the 1999 World Championships in Athletics.At the Olympics 2000, he finished in 41st place....
, then a 28-year-old mentally disturbed
Mental illness
A mental disorder or mental illness is a psychological or behavioral pattern generally associated with subjective distress or disability that occurs in an individual, and which is not a part of normal development or culture. Such a disorder may consist of a combination of affective, behavioural,...
unemployed Japanese man, who forced her into his car, and subsequently held her in the upstairs floor of his apartment in a residential area of Kashiwazaki
Kashiwazaki, Niigata
is a city located in Niigata, Japan.As of May 1, 2008, the city has an estimated population of 92,947 and the density of 210 persons per km². The total area is 442.70 km²....
, Niigata Prefecture
Niigata Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Honshū on the coast of the Sea of Japan. The capital is the city of Niigata. The name "Niigata" literally means "new lagoon".- History :...
for 9 years and two months. The house is only 200 meters from a kōban
Koban
Koban may refer to:, Japanese neighborhood police substation, sometimes called a "police box", a former Japanese oval gold coin* Koban culture, a Central North Caucasian culture circa 1100 to 400 BC...
(police substation), and 55 kilometers from the location where she was kidnapped.
The missing years
While Sano was initially scared, according to her own statements she eventually just gave up and accepted her fate. Allegedly, the kidnapper kept her tied up for several months, and used a stun gunElectroshock gun
An electroshock weapon is an incapacitant weapon used for incapacitating a person by administering electric shock aimed at disrupting superficial muscle functions. One type is a conductive energy device , an electroshock gun popularly known by the brand name "Taser", which fires projectiles that...
for punishments if she did not videotape the horse racing
Horse racing
Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...
on TV. Sano was also threatened with a knife and beaten. Her kidnapper shared his men's clothes with her and gave her food three times per day, either instant food or meals cooked by his mother, who lived downstairs in the house. He also cut Sano's hair. Since there was no bath or toilet upstairs where Sano was confined, she was only able to take a bath infrequently, when permitted by her captor.
She spent most of her time in captivity listening to radio, and reportedly was allowed to watch TV only in the last year of her ordeal. While the door was never locked, Sano did not take a step outside for nine years. She later told the police: "I was too scared to escape and eventually lost the energy to escape."
Satō's mother lived downstairs and apparently had no contact with her son's captive, since he became very violent whenever she tried to go upstairs. However, police believe the mother must have had some knowledge of Ms Sano's presence; for example, it was alleged that she purchased feminine hygiene
Feminine hygiene
Feminine hygiene is a general euphemism used to describe personal care products used by women during menstruation, vaginal discharge, and other bodily functions related to the vulva...
products for the victim.
Discovery
The mother of Nobuyuki Satō, then 73 years old, consulted the Kashiwazaki public health centerPublic health centres in Japan
In Japan, a public health centre is a facility with responsibility for public health matters. It is responsible for treatment of people with chronic health problems such as mental illness....
in January 1996, because her son had been acting strangely and was violent to her. She called again on January 12, 2000, and again on January 19, requesting a visit to her home. Officials finally visited the home on Friday, January 28, 2000. Subsequently, Satō caused a disturbance that resulted in police
Police system of Japan
Law enforcement in Japan is provided by the Prefectural Police under the oversight of the National Police Agency or NPA. The NPA is headed by the National Public Safety Commission thus ensuring that Japan's police are an apolitical body and free of direct central government executive control...
being called to the scene. On this occasion, Sano, by then 19 years old, approached the officers and identified herself. She reportedly said:
- "I was abducted near the school by a man who forced me into a car. [...] For nine years, I did not take a step out of the house. Today, I went out for the first time."
Upon her rescue Sano was found to be healthy, although extremely thin and weak
Muscle weakness
Muscle weakness or myasthenia is a lack of muscle strength. The causes are many and can be divided into conditions that have true or perceived muscle weakness...
due to lack of exercise: she could barely walk. She was also dehydrated
Dehydration
In physiology and medicine, dehydration is defined as the excessive loss of body fluid. It is literally the removal of water from an object; however, in physiological terms, it entails a deficiency of fluid within an organism...
. Due to the lack of exposure to sunlight, she also had a very light skin tone
Skin
-Dermis:The dermis is the layer of skin beneath the epidermis that consists of connective tissue and cushions the body from stress and strain. The dermis is tightly connected to the epidermis by a basement membrane. It also harbors many Mechanoreceptors that provide the sense of touch and heat...
and suffered from jaundice
Jaundice
Jaundice is a yellowish pigmentation of the skin, the conjunctival membranes over the sclerae , and other mucous membranes caused by hyperbilirubinemia . This hyperbilirubinemia subsequently causes increased levels of bilirubin in the extracellular fluid...
. While her body was that of a 19 year old woman, mentally she acted like a child. She also suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder
Post-traumatic stress disorder
Posttraumaticstress disorder is a severe anxiety disorder that can develop after exposure to any event that results in psychological trauma. This event may involve the threat of death to oneself or to someone else, or to one's own or someone else's physical, sexual, or psychological integrity,...
.
Soon after her release, Sano was reunited with her family. Her mother did not initially recognize her, since she had last seen her at age 9.
The local newspaper "Echigo Times" (越後タイムス) compared the incident to the "Yotsuya ghost story
Yotsuya Kaidan
Yotsuya Kaidan , the story of Oiwa and Tamiya Iemon, is a tale of betrayal, murder and ghostly revenge. Arguably the most famous Japanese ghost story of all time, it has been adapted for film over 30 times, and continues to be an influence on Japanese horror today.Written in 1825 by Tsuruya Nanboku...
," based on the address of Satō.
The victim
In the years following her release, Sano's physical health improved, and she now helps out in her family's rice paddy. As a result of her lack of normal social interactions during her captivity, she still has difficulties adjusting to normal life, has very few friends, and likes to take walks alone. She enjoys digital photography, especially of flowers, and obtained a driver's license. Neighbors comment that she is a fan of the local J. LeagueJ. League
The or is the top division of and is the top professional association football league in Japan. It is one of the most successful leagues in Asian club football and the only league given top class 'A' ranking by the AFC. Currently, J. League Division 1 is the first level of the Japanese...
Football (soccer) team Albirex Niigata
Albirex Niigata
is a Japanese J. League Division 1 association football team. Despite the club's relative youth, only joining the J. League in 1999, Albirex are one of Japan's best supported teams. In 2003, while still playing in the second tier of Japanese football , Albirex attracted the best average crowd in...
, and goes to some of their games.
The Sano family refuses to comment on her ordeal.
In 2007 a new tragedy was added to her family when her father drowned in her presence in a pond where the two went for fun.
Prosecution
Nobuyuki Satō, then 37 years old, was hospitalized immediately on January 28, 2000 as mentally unstable. On February 10, 2000, his legal status was changed from suspectSuspect
In the parlance of criminal justice, a suspect is a known person suspected of committing a crime.Police and reporters often incorrectly use the word suspect when referring to the...
to criminal, and he was arrest
Arrest
An arrest is the act of depriving a person of his or her liberty usually in relation to the purported investigation and prevention of crime and presenting into the criminal justice system or harm to oneself or others...
ed on February 11, 2000.
The Niigata court opened his trial on May 23, 2000. In the proceedings, the prosecutors acted very carefully to avoid further damage to Sano's mental health. The prosecution's case included even minor charges against Satō (for example, shoplifting of women's underwear) with the goal of putting him in jail
Penal system of Japan
The Penal system of Japan is part of the criminal justice system of Japan. It is intended to resocialize, reform, and rehabilitate offenders...
for as long as possible. Following a defense claim of criminal insanity
Insanity defence
In criminal trials, the insanity defense is where the defendant claims that he or she was not responsible for his or her actions due to mental health problems . The exemption of the insane from full criminal punishment dates back to at least the Code of Hammurabi. There are different views of the...
, on September 6, 2001 psychiatrist
Psychiatrist
A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders. All psychiatrists are trained in diagnostic evaluation and in psychotherapy...
s found Satō to be mentally fit to face the charges, and he subsequently admitted the main charges. In the first instance, on January 22, 2002, the Niigata District court sentenced him to 14 years out of a maximum of 15 years.
The defense appeal
Appeal
An appeal is a petition for review of a case that has been decided by a court of law. The petition is made to a higher court for the purpose of overturning the lower court's decision....
ed on January 24, 2002, and the trial moved to the Tokyo High Court
Tokyo High Court
is a high court in Kasumigaseki, Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. The Intellectual Property High Court is a special branch of Tokyo High Court....
. On October 12, 2002, the Tokyo High Court judge Toshio Yamada (山田 利夫 Yamada Toshio) sentenced Satō to 11 years, reducing the initial sentence.
Both the prosecution and the defense appealed on December 24, 2002, and the case moved to the Supreme Court of Japan
Supreme Court of Japan
The Supreme Court of Japan , located in Chiyoda, Tokyo is the highest court in Japan. It has ultimate judicial authority to interpret the Japanese constitution and decide questions of national law...
on December 10, 2002. On July 10, 2003 the Supreme Court judge Takehisa Fukazawa (深沢 武久 Fukazawa Takehisa) accepted the prosecution's arguments, with the result that Satō is currently serving a 14-year prison sentence.
Criticism of the police
After the discovery and rescue of Sano, the police in Japan were much criticized. Satō was already known to police for inflicting violence against another girl on June 13, 1989, for which he was convicted on September 19, 1989. However, his name somehow disappeared from the list of criminals, and he was not considered a suspect in the abduction of Sano in 1990. Also, at the time of Sano's rescue, Niigata Prefectural Police chief Koji Kobayashi did not show up to the police station to supervise the situation, but spent his evening playing mah-jong with the head of the Regional Police Bureaus. Due to this and subsequent errors by the police, Kobayashi resigned on February 26, 2000, and the head of the Regional Police Bureaus resigned on February 29, 2000.See also
- Child abductionChild abductionChild abduction or Child theft is the unauthorized removal of a minor from the custody of the child's natural or legally appointed guardians....
Japanese Wikipedia entry on the abduction case German Wikipedia entry on the abduction case