TOMISATO, Chiba Prefecture—An accused female stalker registered marriage with her victim without his consent, highlighting a flaw in Japan’s marriage recognition system.

Such marriages require lengthy court procedures to annul.

Online videographer Yuria Yamamoto, 35, was arrested and charged with forging and submitting a marriage notification form to the Tomisato city government office.

She was accused of fabricating a private document, as well as causing false entries to be produced in electromagnetic records. She is now on trial.

A divorce expert said it is relatively common for marriages to be registered in Japan without the would-be spouse being aware of it.

Yamamoto, who is of no fixed abode, was earlier cautioned by police for harassing the man. She was told to desist, under the anti-stalking law.

The man, who has not been named, is a fellow producer of video content.

Yamamoto identified his address and other personal information based on what was visible in his videos. It seems that this was most of what she needed to fill in the marriage form.

She handed the application to the Tomisato city government between September and October 2023, a source said.

HISTORY OF STALKING

Yamamoto’s connection with the man began around 2016, when she discovered his videos online. She contacted him and they became acquainted.

She then sent him frequent messages and at times would show up at his door unannounced.

Even after the man told her to desist and she received a police caution, Yamamoto continued to leave gifts and letters in the victim’s mailbox. Sometimes she would press the intercom button.

Every day from September through early October 2023 she sent messages on the internet.

“Can you hang out with me?” she wrote. “I want to get together with you.” “I would like to meet you alone.”

The man never replied.

Yamamoto registered their marriage at the city government office on Oct. 10, 2023. When a staffer asked if the name of the husband was entered “by the man himself,” Yamamoto replied it was. The application was treated as valid.

The victim found out about the supposed marriage because Yamamoto announced in a video that she was “tying the knot” with him.

A city representative said it was the first time for a false marriage application to be detected there. The official said a single individual can submit the notice as long as the person affirms that the other applicant’s signature is genuine. There is no attempt to verify the handwriting.

“We accept marriage forms, in principle, if all the required information is filled out,” the city representative said. “We cannot reject completed applications.”

Yamamoto is now on trial. During her first hearing at the Chiba District Court on June 4, the defendant used the victim’s surname, as recorded on her family register.

She then admitted the indictment, saying, “I have no objection to any of the allegations made.”

'RELATIVELY FREQUENT'

Divorce expert Mari Takahashi, a lawyer and former prosecutor with the Daini Tokyo Bar Association, acknowledges that marriages are relatively frequently registered with one party unaware of it.

She said it is done for a range of reasons, including when someone tries to change their identity.

“Those blacklisted due to having debts try to change their names, so as to take out fresh loans,” she said.

Takahashi said local governments will approve any application that superficially meets requirements, as they have no way to determine whether the entries were falsified.

If a single individual files a marriage application and it is accepted, a letter is mailed to the absent spouse. Takahashi said many victims only find out about their situation after receiving this document.

When a case goes to court, the perpetrator’s background and motivation tends to come to light. This reduces a recurrence.

However, finding a perpetrator guilty does not automatically nullify the marriage.

Extra decisions or rulings are needed to correct entries on the family register, so that legal ties can officially be dissolved. This process takes several months at least, Takahashi said.

ADVICE FOR VICTIMS

As for how potential victims can protect themselves, Takahashi recommends that they ask the local government office to block any marriage application from a named individual.

With this, the office will require the applicant’s presence, and, if an application slips past unnoticed, an alert will be mailed out.

“This countermeasure will prove effective in stalking cases,” Takahashi said.