Photo/Illutration The Saudi Arabia Embassy in Tokyo’s Minato Ward (Daichi Itakura)

A Saudi Arabian diplomat who was stationed in Japan is facing criminal charges after allegedly groping a woman at a Tokyo bar this summer, according to investigative sources.

The Metropolitan Police Department is set to refer the case to prosecutors on Dec. 6.

The man, in his 30s, allegedly touched the breasts of a woman in her 20s at a hostess bar in the capital’s Roppongi district at 2:50 a.m. on July 15.

The woman, who did not know the man, called police.

When police arrived, the man denied the allegations, claiming he had only touched her arm. He refused an alcohol test but said he had been drinking tequila.

Although the diplomat agreed to accompany officers to the police station, he later claimed diplomatic immunity and left.

The man has since refused repeated requests to appear for questioning.

The Saudi Arabia Embassy in Tokyo has told The Asahi Shimbun that the man is no longer employed there and has returned to his home country.

This is not the first time that a foreign diplomat stationed in Japan has been accused of a crime.

In February, a Singaporean diplomat was questioned by police for allegedly photographing a naked boy at a Tokyo public bathhouse.

The diplomat refused to cooperate with the investigation and later returned to Singapore.

However, the man subsequently returned to Japan in June to face questioning and was referred to prosecutors.

He was eventually fined 300,000 yen ($2,000).

(This article was written by Shun Yoshimura, Arata Mitsui and Daichi Itakura.)

Related News