THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
May 26, 2021 at 17:36 JST
The Kanagawa prefectural police main building in Yokohama (Asahi Shimbun file photo)
YOKOHAMA--Police arrested two men working for a child welfare center in Kanagawa Prefecture on suspicion of being involved in sexual activities with teenage girls, prefectural police said on May 26.
Kaito Yagishita, 23, and Masato Ono, 27, both worked at the same child welfare center. They served as guidance counselors for children brought to the center’s shelter after being abused or fleeing from home.
The girls had stayed at the shelter before.
According to police, Yagishita is suspected of having sex with one of the girls at a hotel in Yokohama in April in violation of the Child Welfare Law, which prohibits sex with children younger than 18.
Ono is believed to have groped the other girl at a separate hotel in the city in October. Being involved in obscene activities with children younger than 18 is also prohibited under the Kanagawa prefectural juvenile protection ordinance.
The workers apparently became acquainted with the girls while they stayed in the shelter. They kept in touch through social media after they were discharged and met outside the center, police sources said.
(This article was written by Yoichiro Kodeara and Kyoko Doi.)
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