Fukuoka man accused of smearing ink on woman’s kimono

KITA-KYUSHU—Fukuoka prefectural police arrested a man here on Jan. 24 on suspicion he smeared ink on a woman’s kimono while she was on her way to a Coming-of-Age ceremony.

Yoshinori Hirai, a 33-year-old company employee who lives in Kita-Kyushu’s Wakamatsu Ward, is accused of vandalism.

Hirai has denied the allegations, saying, “I saw a woman wearing a long-sleeved kimono, but I didn’t splash any liquid on it,” according to officers at the Kokura-Kita Police Station.

Police suspect the act occurred around 11:15 a.m. on Jan. 8 inside a convenience store in Kokura-Kita Ward, where a 20-year-old woman, also from Wakamatsu Ward, was wearing a long-sleeved kimono.

Several spots of black ink were later found on the slips and sash of the kimono, with the largest one being about 7 centimeters in diameter, police said.

The woman reported to the police station on Jan. 9 that a man had “splashed something like liquid ink on me.”

Officers identified Hirai from footage of nearby security cameras and other sources. They also searched a related location and seized an item that appeared to be liquid ink.

At least 10 other women have told police their kimono were also splattered with ink near the venue of the Coming-of-Age ceremony in the city on Jan. 8.

The ceremony was held at the Kita-Kyushu Media Dome in the Kokura-Kita Ward. About 3,100 people attended the event.