335:(condolence money) from a friend of Obara's. Blackman's other family members were opposed to accepting the money. Some of the money was used to establish the Lucie Blackman Trust (later called LBT Global), a charity providing safety advice for British people overseas, and assistance for families of British people missing, or murdered, abroad. The judge stated that in deciding on the sentence he did not attach much importance to Obara's payment of "consolation money" to a number of his victims.
324:
showed him raping women (including one with
Ridgway). For the charge of manslaughter, the prosecutor produced an autopsy report showing traces of chloroform in Ridgway's liver and a paper trail showing that Obara accompanied her to the hospital before she died. In Blackman's case, however, the prosecutor could not produce any
291:
100,000. As a result of the publicity surrounding the case, three foreign women came forward to describe waking up sore and sick in Obara's bed, with no memory of the night before. Several of them had reported him to
Roppongi police, but were ignored. It was also around this time that police made the
357:
The
Japanese judicial system received criticism for its handling of the case. It is believed that the police did not take this missing person case seriously "because Lucie was working illegally in a job from which women often flee without notice". As a result, the discovery of the body came too late
323:
of
Ridgway. His trial began on July 4, 2001. On April 24, 2007, he was found guilty of multiple rape charges and manslaughter, but was acquitted of Blackman's rape and murder for lack of direct evidence. Evidence supporting his guilt of rape included the approximately 400 videos shot by Obara, which
224:. Obara's culpability was exposed when, while using an alias (Nishita), he had taken an unconscious Ridgway to the hospital claiming that she was suffering from shellfish (oyster)-related food poisoning. Ridgway died after life-support was stopped at her family's request; she was then cremated and
172:
them. Obara victimized women of both
Japanese and Western backgrounds. He recorded his attacks on videotape, at least 400 of which were recovered by police, giving them cause to believe that he might have raped anywhere from 150 to 400 women. Police found extensive journals in which Obara made
232:, and there was no support for an investigation by the embassy or Japanese police as requested by the family. When police later searched Obara's home, they found a diary entry that read, "Carita Ridgway, too much chloroform", and a videotape of Obara raping Ridgway.
209:, and sometimes dance – with a strict policy against men touching the hostesses or making sexual propositions. Popular hostesses often receive drinks, presents and social invitations from their favourite customers.
299:, about 50 kilometres (31 mi) south of Tokyo and a few hundred meters from Obara's apartment. The body had been cut into 10 pieces and put inside separate bags, her head shaved and encased in concrete. The body was too
91:
found Obara guilty on the counts of abduction, dismemberment and disposal of
Blackman's body. Blackman's death, as well as Obara's trial, received extensive press coverage internationally, especially in Britain.
346:. The public prosecutor, however, appealed the Blackman-related verdicts, as crucial forensic evidence had not been heard at the original trial, and on March 25, 2008, an appeal trial commenced in the
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and went to Japan to see the world and earn money to repay her debts. At the time of her death, she was working as a hostess at
Casablanca, a nightclub later known as Greengrass, in
87:
In 2007, Obara was jailed for life on multiple rape charges and manslaughter, but was acquitted of
Blackman's rape and murder for lack of direct evidence. In December 2008, the
383:
1347:
358:
to determine the cause of death. The verdict, by a panel of three judges, cited the lack of forensic evidence as a reason for acquittal. Some foreign media from
754:
1141:
350:. The court found Obara guilty on the counts of abduction, dismemberment and disposal of Blackman's body on December 16, 2008. In early December 2010, the
1357:
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874:
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women. He developed a pattern of criminal behavior, beginning with unlawfully administering drugs to render his victims unconscious, then abducting and
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1342:
1337:
1387:
1203:
573:
1382:
338:
The former prosecutor
Takeshi Tsuchimoto criticised the decision to acquit Obara for the murder of Blackman by pointing to the conviction of
271:
Blackman's family, wanting to find her, flew to Tokyo and started a high-profile media campaign. They approached
Britain's foreign secretary
112:. Obara was educated at private Tokyo schools, and received daily tutoring in a variety of subjects. At age 15, he enrolled in a prestigious
665:
275:, who was visiting Tokyo at that time. Newspapers started publicizing Blackman's disappearance on July 13, when Britain's prime minister
1317:
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802:
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In October 2000, Obara was charged with drugging, raping and killing Blackman, as well as with raping eight other women and the
108:. During his youth, Obara's father worked his way from scrap collector to immensely wealthy owner of a string of properties and
1397:
1367:
304:
124:, Obara inherited property in Osaka and Tokyo. After traveling extensively and graduating from Keio University with degrees in
515:
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268:(paid date) with a Casablanca customer. Other than a few calls to a friend during the date, no one heard from her again.
190:
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396:
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entertainer, i.e. young women at bars who are paid to engage in conversation with men, light their cigarettes, sing
486:
419:
Evidence Locker True Crime Podcast: 11. Japan | The Hostess Murders (Carita Ridgway and Lucie Blackman (Joji Obara)
1151:
339:
240:
Lucie Jane Blackman (September 1, 1978 – July 1, 2000), known as Lucie, was a British woman from
113:
177:
on women whom he wrote were “good only for sex" and on whom he sought "revenge on the world" drugging them with
850:
435:
372:
295:
On February 9, 2001, Blackman's body was found, buried in a shallow grave under a bathtub in a seaside cave at
133:
418:
311:, then killed her. Obara has maintained his innocence, claiming the drugs were voluntarily self-administered.
1377:
343:
1372:
430:
351:
198:
120:, virtually guaranteeing his acceptance into the university. Two years later, after his father's death in
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who raped between 150 and 400 women. He was charged with drugging, raping and killing an English woman,
189:
Carita Simone Ridgway (March 3, 1970 – February 29, 1992) was an Australian model from
631:
1332:
739:
388:
300:
141:
1265:
140:, gaining assets estimated as much as $ 38 million. After losing his fortune and his firm in the
675:
279:
mentioned the case during an official visit to Japan, where he met with Japanese prime minister
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145:
88:
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987:
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area as a bar hostess to earn money for acting school. Common in East Asian nations, "
1326:
1292:"People Who Eat Darkness: The Fate of Lucie Blackman by Richard Lloyd Parry – review"
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69:
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countries also criticised the police for having leaked information to the press.
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to show the cause of death. According to Obara's indictment, he made Blackman a
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Born Kim Sung Jong in 1952 to a super rich Japanese/Korean parents in Osaka,...
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1116:"Family step away from Lucie Blackman Trust, which rebrands as LBT Global"
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549:
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125:
1218:"Justice at last for Lucie Blackman family as 'evil' abductor is jailed"
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linking Obara to her death. Her cause of death could not be determined.
1171:
578:
206:
202:
149:
144:, he was pursued by creditors, and reportedly used his business as a
1091:"Lucie Blackman Trust - Missing Abroad, Murder Abroad, Death Abroad"
136:
and legally changed his name. Obara invested heavily in real estate
212:
Ridgway, who was offered a lift by Obara, was drugged; this led to
1194:"Obara pleads not guilty in appeal trial over killing of Blackman"
1095:
Lucie Blackman Trust - Missing Abroad, Murder Abroad, Death Abroad
194:
62:
292:
connection between cases via the man known as Nishita and Obara.
288:
245:
169:
129:
735:"Japanese businessman arrested over rape of Australian woman"
978:"Approach to Blackman slaying hit, likened to Keystone Cops"
164:
Obara was a drug user who was reported to have a fetish for
1090:
1071:"Lucie's father 'helped killer by accepting blood money'"
173:
reference to "conquest play", a euphemism describing his
354:
rejected Obara's appeal and upheld his life sentence.
331:
Blackman's father, Tim Blackman, accepted £450,000 in
228:
to Australia. The cause of death was initially deemed
875:"Tokyo Vice extract: Behind the Lucie Blackman story"
409:
Asian Madness Podcast: Episode92, “Deadly Obsessions”
1167:"Japan legal battle on Briton's death far from over"
483:
People Who Eat Darkness: The Fate of Lucie Blackman
406:
Podcast: Episode 9, "The Beast With The Human Face"
384:
People Who Eat Darkness: The Fate of Lucie Blackman
1142:"Joji Obara: Not Guilty of Lucie Blackman Killing"
287:, and an anonymous businessman funded a reward of
1393:Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment by Japan
1363:Japanese prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment
1003:"How the bubble burst for Lucie's alleged killer"
951:
949:
464:"How the bubble burst for Lucie's alleged killer"
283:. An information hotline was staffed by English
68:) (born on 10 August 1952) is a Korean-Japanese
1239:"Sevenoaks girl who hoped to spin blonde to go"
632:"Case 107: Lucie Blackman & Carita Ridgway"
574:"A tale of rape, murder and a Japanese playboy"
41:
910:"Lives Lost in Translation: Vanished Overseas"
252:in Tokyo. Blackman had previously worked as a
35:
846:"Vanished in Tokyo: 'We'll Never Have Peace'"
582:. Melbourne, Australia: The Age Company Ltd.
8:
1314: – BBC profile of Joji Obara
59:
797:
795:
387: – a February 2011 book by
201:" in this sense describes a modern form of
823:"Monster in Blackman case still an enigma"
539:
537:
1348:Japanese people convicted of manslaughter
305:drink containing a drug before raping her
100:Joji Obara was born on 10 August 1952 to
1001:Parry, Richard Lloyd (August 17, 2005).
934:"Japan's dark underbelly: Doing justice"
446:
659:
657:
655:
653:
84:, and the rape of eight other women.
1290:Morrison, Blake (February 19, 2011).
1023:"Remains identified as missing Lucie"
840:
838:
729:
727:
626:
624:
622:
620:
618:
616:
614:
516:"I'm haunted by my daughter's murder"
400:aired an episode revisiting the case.
7:
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454:
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763:. February 27, 2005. Archived from
707:20/20 ABC Vanished Missing in Japan
191:Claremont, Perth, Western Australia
1266:"ABC News 20/20 Vanished in Japan"
664:Wright, Evan Alan (May 14, 2001).
264:, Tokyo. On July 1, she went on a
27:Japanese serial rapist (born 1952)
25:
1358:Japanese people of Korean descent
1353:Japanese people convicted of rape
958:"How family forced police to act"
956:Summers, Chris (April 24, 2007).
873:Adelstein, Jake (June 19, 2010).
572:Norrie, Justin (April 21, 2007).
545:"Man cleared over death of Lucie"
1150:. April 24, 2007. Archived from
986:. April 24, 2007. Archived from
778:Summers, Chris (24 April 2007).
413:Missing: The Lucie Blackman Case
1403:Drug-facilitated sexual assault
1343:21st-century Japanese criminals
1338:20th-century Japanese criminals
1237:Weaver, Matt (April 24, 2007).
1202:. 26 March 2008. Archived from
1043:"Obara pleads innocent to rape"
942:. 24 February 2011. p. 90.
831:. 22 February 2011. p. 12.
780:"The 'beast with a human face'"
1388:People convicted of kidnapping
1165:Sieg, Linda (April 25, 2007).
704:Richard Straton (2018-05-22),
375:aired a US documentary titled
60:
1:
1383:Naturalized citizens of Japan
1312:The 'beast with a human face'
755:"Transcript – Night Stalkers"
481:Parry, Richard Lloyd (2000).
193:, who was working in Tokyo's
76:, in July 2000, the rape and
803:"Evil behind Tokyo's lights"
636:Casefile: True Crime Podcast
134:naturalized Japanese citizen
487:Farrar, Straus & Giroux
397:Casefile True Crime Podcast
42:
1419:
379:related to the two deaths.
36:
436:Murder of Lindsay Hawker
80:of an Australian woman,
344:circumstantial evidence
1398:Zainichi Korean people
1368:Keio University alumni
1154:on September 27, 2007.
431:List of serial rapists
394:On February 24, 2019,
371:On February 29, 2008,
352:Supreme Court of Japan
990:on February 18, 2009.
767:on November 30, 2006.
1318:Lucie Blackman Trust
666:"Death of a Hostess"
307:at a condominium in
1226:. December 8, 2010.
1051:. December 15, 2000
1031:. 10 February 2001.
638:. February 23, 2019
389:Richard Lloyd Parry
1122:. 10 November 2020
470:. August 17, 2005.
248:, who worked as a
811:. April 20, 2007.
678:on March 10, 2007
485:. New York City:
377:Vanished in Japan
326:forensic evidence
16:(Redirected from
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1207:
1206:on July 5, 2008.
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1079:. 20 April 2007.
1076:Evening Standard
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854:. April 24, 2009
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674:. Archived from
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553:. April 24, 2007
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478:
472:
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348:Tokyo High Court
254:flight attendant
146:money laundering
116:affiliated with
110:pachinko parlors
89:Tokyo High Court
67:
66:
49:
48:
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39:
38:
21:
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1272:. 7 August 2008
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880:Daily Telegraph
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743:. 9 April 2001.
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489:. p. 204.
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427:
415:(Netflix, 2023)
368:
317:
297:Miura, Kanagawa
258:British Airways
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187:
175:sexual assaults
162:
142:1990s recession
118:Keio University
102:Zainichi Korean
98:
46:
33:
28:
23:
22:
15:
12:
11:
5:
1416:
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1378:Male murderers
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1306:External links
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1270:www.amazon.com
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808:Brisbane Times
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522:. 29 June 2011
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496:978-0374230593
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340:Masumi Hayashi
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236:Lucie Blackman
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186:
185:Carita Ridgway
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148:front for the
132:, he became a
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82:Carita Ridgway
74:Lucie Blackman
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18:Lucie Blackman
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939:The Economist
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714:on 2020-06-19
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70:serial rapist
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53:
52:Kim Sung-jong
44:
32:
19:
1296:The Guardian
1295:
1285:
1274:. Retrieved
1269:
1260:
1250:November 29,
1248:. Retrieved
1244:The Guardian
1242:
1232:
1221:
1212:
1204:the original
1197:
1188:
1176:. Retrieved
1170:
1160:
1152:the original
1145:
1136:
1124:. Retrieved
1120:On the Wight
1119:
1110:
1100:February 25,
1098:. Retrieved
1094:
1085:
1074:
1065:
1053:. Retrieved
1046:
1037:
1026:
1017:
1006:
996:
988:the original
981:
972:
961:
937:
928:
917:. Retrieved
913:
904:
894:February 25,
892:. Retrieved
878:
868:
858:February 25,
856:. Retrieved
849:
826:
817:
806:
783:
773:
765:the original
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281:Yoshiro Mori
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106:Osaka, Japan
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78:manslaughter
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1199:Japan Today
1178:February 9,
1055:February 9,
1048:Japan Times
983:Japan Times
828:Japan Times
520:Now To Love
285:expatriates
230:hepatitis E
226:repatriated
222:brain death
138:speculation
114:prep school
104:parents in
58::
1327:Categories
1276:2019-02-25
919:2023-06-22
760:60 Minutes
718:2019-02-25
442:References
360:common law
301:decomposed
277:Tony Blair
273:Robin Cook
214:chloroform
179:chloroform
152:syndicate
96:Background
43:Obara Jōji
31:Joji Obara
1298:. London.
1223:The Times
1147:The Times
1008:The Times
889:0307-1235
682:March 28,
557:April 24,
468:The Times
404:RedHanded
242:Sevenoaks
216:-related
122:Hong Kong
1028:BBC News
963:BBC News
914:ABC News
851:ABC News
785:BBC News
740:ABC News
550:BBC News
425:See also
373:ABC News
333:mimaikin
262:Roppongi
126:politics
1172:Reuters
1126:15 July
579:The Age
342:due to
250:hostess
207:karaoke
199:hostess
50:, born
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203:geisha
170:raping
160:Crimes
150:yakuza
56:Korean
366:Media
315:Trial
309:Zushi
266:dōhan
195:Ginza
166:white
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63:hanja
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37:織原 城二
1252:2007
1180:2022
1128:2024
1102:2019
1057:2022
896:2019
885:ISSN
860:2019
684:2008
671:Time
644:2019
559:2007
528:2019
491:ISBN
256:for
246:Kent
220:and
128:and
130:law
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