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NGT48 Assault Case

Discussion in 'General NGT48 Discussion' started by Cisalpine88, Jan 9, 2019.

  1. Cisalpine88

    Cisalpine88 Next Girls

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    Just getting this absurdity of a civil lawsuit out of the way before I move on to the other topic but...
    Part 4 of the files reconstruction series is titled "On the possibility for the the perpetrators to foresee the consequences".

    if the video does not show watch the video here
    On the pause of theater shows, requests for contract terminations from the business partners of the plaintiff, etc...

    At the end of the aforementioned sequence of controversies, from March 19, 2019 onwards the plaintiff saw oneself with no choice but to halt all the theater shows in NGT48.

    Furthermore, in relationship with the group's management, starting with commercials appearances and such, various kinds of contracts that the plaintiff had stipulated with third parties either ended up being rescinded or their renewal was put on indefinite hold, which made it difficult for the regular activities of the group to restart.

    On the graduation from the group of Miss Yamaguchi

    In the aftermath, the plaintiff repeatedly had discussions with Miss Yamaguchi, but even at the end of it the misgivings of Miss Yamaguchi over this case failed to be dispelled, and as Miss Yamaguchi's understanding toward the plaintiff's explanation couldn't be obtained, Miss Yamaguchi went on to graduate from this group.
    Due to the circumstances above, the plaintiff thus found oneself with no option except halting the group's activities, because of this incident's harmful actions.

    On the fact that the plaintiff's rights got infringed upon

    As per what described above, with the harmful actions of this incident, the plaintiff couldn't benefit from the service of the members of the group in terms of entertainment activity, finding oneself forced to halt the activities of the group in question. This means that, in terms of their claims as a beneficiary of the entertainment activities of Miss Yamaguchi and the group in question, as well as the rights by the plaintiff to maintain the group in working conditions, they found their interests from a legal standpoint violated.

    On the aspects at the source of the defendants' liabilities

    The defendants, aware of the fact that Miss Yamaguchi was a member of the group belonging to the plaintiff, went on to commit their harmful actions in a premeditated way. In case such harmful actions would've been carried out, in addition of course to Miss Yamaguchi suffering from a psychological trauma, she might have come to harbor misgivings regarding the incident, as well as distrust toward the members whose names were divulged by the defendants as though they had an implication in the incident itself. With this, there would've been the risk that it would've caused a strain in the relationship of trust there is between the members, and the anger of the members would've been directed at the plaintiff, which would've brought the relationship of trust of the whole group, including the plaintiff's management, to collapse, thus making it arduous to manage the group. About this, as it can be argued that they were conscious of this, it can be acknowledged that there were ill intentions on part of the defendants.

    As it can be argued that the end results of such actions could have been at the very least to predicted, the fault on part of the defendants may be recognized.
    1. The final part where they try to argue that with their "harmful actions", as the lawsuit keep calling it, the perpetrators planned and sought to make the members turn against the management is so absurd that Takkentaro couldn't help concluding how Yoshinari and whatever lawyer was helping her write it up must have been either drunk or under the influence of euphoric drugs when they did, and rightfully so.
    The sheer stupidity (and insincerity) of this reasoning is especially true in light of Bunshun releasing just today a decently complete version of the audio recordings of the day of the incident, of the discussions between Maho, the staff, and the yakkais.
    2. It should be noted that with every instance of "harmful actions" in the lawsuit, they don't only mean the simple physical assault but also the yakkais revealing the little shame that they are being in contact with other members. Note also that it refers to only that part in which they name the member names, and it blissfully ignores any other disclosure or argument that happened in any follow-up discussions, so basically AKS is playing dumb, terribly dumb.
    This is something that was first brought up by Takkentaro in the first part of this series, by the way, so refer back to it. Just in case you need one more reason to see how disingenous and misleading this whole legal stunt is.
    3. About this part, Takkentaro notes that one of the "evidences" that the management intends to bring to the court is an article from Yahoo News (!) titled: "Yamaguchi Maho decides to graduate, as the divide remains unreconciled. Outrage from one side of the fans", which apparently is to prove that Maho ...graduated from the group? Because of course they need a random piece of news (provided it's not one written on their demand) to show the reason and the condition under which Maho graduated. Personally I appreciate the effort to find an article on it that even contains Maho's dig on Yoshinari's statements, which she was careful to weave into her graduation announcement.
    https://twitter.com/siriustear1/status/1168852706452107264

    ===
    Part 5 and last one instead is titled "AKS, the gang of the black rose(/heart)" (originally it was meant to be a wordplay on the fact hara and bara sound similar, but I can't think of a pun that would translate as smoothly in English). Anyway, it consists of a laundry list of the alleged "damages", all of which they claim have been sustained by the management as a result of the perpetrators' "harmful actions".
    Just to stay in the topic of puns, Takkentaro (much fittingly) takes Yoshinari's statement from that one parents briefing meeting ("I want to make it clear who lied the most") and then replies back: "Let's make it clear who's truly black-hearted in there - By: It's YOU, Yoshinari!"
    Again, if you want to rage, keep in mind that "harmful actions" is only in small part about the physical assault.

    if the video does not show watch the video here
    Regarding the resulting economic damages suffered by the plaintiff because of this incident's harmful actions

    (1) Revenue loss caused by the suspension of the theater performances

    As per what is written above, due to the harmful actions of this incident, the plaintiff found oneself having to either suspend part of the shows at the NGT48 theater or change their schedule, because of the necessity to plan for the protection of the members' lives and health, in addition to the relationship of trust between members being lost, and so on. As such, from March 19, 2019 onwards, they saw themselves forced to halt all theater performances.

    The numbers of tickets up for sale for such a group's theater performances amounts to 295 each per show, with the ticket fee being 3,100 yen each. Considering that shows are held 13 times a month on average and seats are filled to full capacity for each theater show, 11,888,500 yen in total monthly revenue (295 tickets * 3,100 yen * 13 times) should have been earned during the period in which the theater shows were suspended. However, because of the suspension of shows, such revenue could not be obtained. It can be argued that, due to the harmful actions of this incident, economic damages were sustained for an amount equivalent to such a money revenue.

    (2) Other revenue losses

    The plaintiff planned (for a total of 16 shows) a concert tour of this group from March 10, 2019 to May 26, 2019.
    However, because of the the stream broadcast which was done based on this incident's misgivings which resulted from this incident's harmful actions, the relationship of trust between the members, as well as between the members and the plaintiff, was disrupted, in turns rendering it impossible to keep maintaining a normal activity of the group. The plaintiff thus found oneself forced to discontinue the concert tour above.
    Consequently, the plaintiff could not earn the 39,997,912 yen money revenue which would have normally been earned if such concert tour was to be held, and it can be argued that economic damages were sustained for an amount equivalent to such money sum due to the harmful actions of this incident.

    (3) Cancellation fee

    The plaintiff, along with the discontinuing of the concert tour described previously, received requests for the payment of the cancellation fees for the concert venues' reservations, worth a sum of 700,000 yen as a total amount of the invoices already received.
    The plaintiff found itself obliged to pay, at minimum, 700,000 yen in cancellation fees, and it can be said economic damages were sustained for an amount equivalent to such money sum due to the harmful actions of this incident.

    (4) On the economic damages from contract termination requests on part of the business partners, etc...

    The plaintiff stipulated various contracts with third parties regarding the event appearances and such like of this group, but as for what concerns the fruition of these contracts, the credibility of the plaintiff on the general public plummeting, which was sparked by the harmful actions of this incident, and with the main cause being the fact that a normal management of the group was no longer possible, the use of advertisements in which the group appeared came to be discontinued, or otherwise the contract renewals be postponed indefinitely, while event appearances were cancelled. With this cessation of employment, the revenue money that could regularly be earned from it couldn't be earned anymore, while requests for damages compensations were also received. The total sum of the revenue money that couldn't be earned, combined with the damages compensation fees requested is no lesser than 20,000,000 yen. It can be said that due to the harmful actions of this incident the plaintiff sustained economic damages for an amount equivalent to such money sum.

    (5) Countermeasures costs, security costs

    Due to the harmful actions of this incident, the members of this group felt their life or the health in danger, and found themselves unable to carry out their entertainment activities as regular, and because of it there emerged the necessity to ensure the safety of the members, in addition to arranging for crime prevention measures, on part of the plaintiff. In the context of the plaintiff arranging for crime prevention measures, along with reinforcing the security at the members' houses, it was necessary and appropriate to employ a crime prevention service in which security guards could intervene in short order against any dangers over the members.
    For it, the plaintiff tasked a security company with the patrolling of the members' houses, paying in total 2,313,360 yen for the cost of the emergency guard security, in accordance with the strengthening of security, for the whole month of February 2019, as well as in total 3,227,000 yen also for the cost of the emergency guard security, in accordance with the strengthening of security, for the whole month of March 2019.
    Regarding the security in question, as we came to pay for the service costs of a regular agency security since it is necessary to maintain it for the whole time until any danger toward the life and health of the members is gone, it can be considered to be economic damages which were sustained for an amount equivalent to such a service costs, resulting from the harmful actions of this incident.
    Moreover, for the fruition of the above mentioned safety service, a latest model of personal portable alarm was distributed to each of the members of the group as well as the general manager, paying a 8,000 yen monthly fee to the security company as the usage fee for the all of the 42 personal portable alarms, amounting to a total price of 240,000 yen until present day. Seeing how it will be necessary to continue providing them even from here on, at a very minimum, for the period going from February 2019 until the days each user will leave the group in question, 1,944 yen a piece every month for a total of a total of 81,648 yen VAT included (1,944 yen VAT included * 42 pieces) are supposed to be paid, thus sustaining an economic damage equivalent to this money sum, as a consequence of the harmful actions of such incident.

    (6) Damages related to the research by the third party committee (compensation for the compilation of the research report by the third party committee, etc...)

    In order to dispel Miss Yamaguchi's misgivings on this incident that resulted from the harmful actions related to it, the plaintiff decided it was necessary and appropriate to entrust a third party committee to research the truth on this incident.
    Accordingly, the plaintiff commissioned an examination on the incident, and was requested a retribution of 44,700,000 yen for the research in question. It can be argued that economic damages were sustained for an amount equivalent to such money sum due to the harmful actions of this incident. (To be precise, a negotiation is currently taking place on part of the plaintiff with the third party committee over the final payment prices, so as to reduce them. Therefore, it may be subject to changes.)

    Closing words

    In virtue of this, the plaintiff, based on their rights to claim damages compensation by reason of unlawful actions, demands from the defendants the payment of a part of the sum of the damages, amounting to 30,000,000 yen, in addition to a yearly 5% worth of it in delay damages fee according to the Civil Code, starting from December 8, 2018 when the unlawful action was committed up until the full payment of the costs.
    1. First of all, Takkentaro couldn't help being bothered by the fact that AKS has even the nerve of including security costs into the list of damages to ask compensation for, pointing out how this is all necessary expenditures that any normal agency should have shouldered in any case.
    2. The fact that the calculation of the security reinforcements costs starts only from February leaves Takkentaro thinking that they actually didn't even bother acting on it until Maho herself made the disclosure on Twitter and Showroom, and honestly he's not the only one with this sentiment.
    3. The whole idea that the main purpose that the third party committee was set up to "dispel Maho's misgivings" is another source of ridicule from Takkentaro. For one thing, at the time of the announcement it was supposed to research on the cause and background of the incident, which it failed to do. Also, it was an excuse for AKS to pass the bucket to someone else after their initial approach proved sloppier than sloppy, as Takkentaro notes.
    Secondly, "Yamaguchi's misgivings" is repeated so obsessively in the whole document that Takkentaro went on to count how many times it would come up in the text, and calculated it's 10. The more you know.
    4. Amusingly enough, yes, AKS is currently bargaining with the third party committee to lower the price of their commission fee. Probably because the report paper that they produced brought up even more issues than it was supposed to sweep under the rug, which in turn prompted the management to fix this in less than honest ways in order to take their narrative back on rails.
    5. Why the damages demanded to the perpetrators is set at 30,000,000 yen, it is not specified anywhere in the document. And, yes, actually I do love how both Yoshinari at the parents meeting, and the poor sap employed as an attorney both stated how "They don't care about money" ...in which case let me say that a civil court is not the place where to fulfill their goals, that they are wasting precious time for the judges in there, and that she should rather hold a press conference instead of playing dirty little manipulative games through personal media.
    Except that, oh look what the AKS kankeisha says in the latest Bushun article, "The explanation conference of last March in which board director Matsumura came under direct fire from the general public, after Yamaguchi sent critical tweets while the conference was underway, proved to be a traumatic experience". How can you argue with this logic?

    ---
    This one, right?
    https://bunshun.jp/articles/-/13965

    I'll get working on it after I have finished processing through it, but to begin with, those are the audio recordings that the members themselves (turns out it was Mofu after all) recorded not long after the incident took place on December 8, containing discussions between Maho, Mofu, the staff and the culprits after being stopped -- first with discussions in the public park, then back in the bus before the police came in and threw the culprits in the patrol car.
    It's not all there is to it because some of the quotes found elsewhere didn't get included in there, but it's at least the most complete version of it, this time without conveniently missing pieces in the middle of the phrases.
    Part of me wished this was Mofu dropping an "ultima ratio" just before leaving the group, but then again the likelihood of it isn't that high, since the same Bunshun article states how: "The audio recording data was passed from the Yamaguchi and Girl M [note: Mofu] side to the management side, and in turn it was copied and circulated internally among music industry personnel, sponsors, and part of the media. Due to heavy gag orders being put into place, such voices never made it to the public until now."
    In other words, the audio recordings were passed around quite a bit, just like a ...oh well. This also goes to show that, as the third rate agency it is, AKS can't keep a secret worth crap and has more holes than Swiss cheese. Just a warning against sharing any sensible info with them.
    Unfortunately Mofu is rendered as "Girl M" in the transcript, due to the fact that "the actual names of members that the Niigata police department concluded have no relationship to the incident would be cut out", which makes it even more curious how Nishigata and Tano actually appear with their actual names.

    Anyway, to those who can't wait: for part 1 of the recordings
    click here.
    For part 2 of the recordings from the same Bunshun broadcast
    click here.
    For a comprehensive transcript of the whole voice data
    click here.
    Also, for a clearer version of the whole recordings without jumps (makes it harder to tell where they skip between segments)
    click here.

    Now, as for some tidbits of what popped up during the discussions:
    ● I should begin by saying that Maho does sound noticeably shaken and crying during it, especially the first part, which gradually gives way to an angrier and more inquisive tone as more people came in.
    It's pretty clear that what concerns Maho is knowing what informations they got leaked from which members they consort with, threatening them to go report it all to the police anyway if they don't first the facts out there and then. As she once declares in tears, "To have to go through such a dreadful experience" ... "Unless they speak out about the consorting members while here, I fear to keep conducting NGT activities as such. Who knows when a similar thing is going to happen again".
    ● The whole narrative pushed by AKS these days that Maho was ever, willingly hanging out with these people is completely demolished just by hearing the discussion. It turn out this is the first time the assaulters admittedly tried approaching Maho, even, unlike with others before. When Maho asks what they had in mind to do, before the staff and all they begin: "It is normal among us to meet members inside so as not to look conspicuous. We already met with other members till now, so doing it inside...".
    ● Turns out Tano never moved out of her room: at the beginning Maho suggests Mofu to wait inside Tano's room, to which Mofu replies back if Tano shouldn't be in there. Maho replies that she's not (anymore) and that the yakkais even have access to the keys to enter the room, all of which frightens Mofu.
    ● The assaulters, near the end of it, explaining unabashedly and with no restraints to the police (!) that they had been using what would be Tano's room as a shared meeting place, which they would borrow for eating together and hanging out with multiple other members inside of the same building, in which they have usual access -- basically treating it as if it's their house, exactly like they do say. To spell it out:
    "You know the inside of the building? Inside of the building, we-- well, as for her [Maho], it’s another particular situation -- but the point is that there are various people of her own group residing inside, so to meet, and eat together with those girls, in a friendly fashion, we did, in other words, borrow one apartment over here. So, all in all, accessing in there… it’s not actually accessing inside-- but to say it all, there would be something akin to our own house inside, so we can access inside as normal, and then well, so-- to say it all, we entered inside by using the keys that I have with me; so it was a place over there where we could get to have a talk in a similar manner."
    ● At the same time, one of the staff accompanying Maho trying insistently to downplay the incident itself in front of the police, by reporting them that Maho just "had her hand grabbed" while she was getting inside her apartment.
    Maho (who had told the incident's details repeatedly in the previous discussion between the two sides, stating that what they did was an assault act, not "talking" since they didn't speak a word) tries to correct it by saying they put their hands on her face while trying to break into the room, but the staff keeps insisting that's not it, taking the yakkais' defence. At this point Maho is audibly irritated and requests the police to take a DNA sample or a fingerprint check off her face skin, if he doesn't believe, pointing out she got bruised in the process.
    ● Overall, it's weird, not to mention suspicious, how blatantly on the side of the yakkais that certain staff is... While normally sounding unconcerned, at several points you can hear him interfere to cut off the discussion instead once it gets too uncomfortable, too, near the end.
    The first time saying "This is irrelevant to the situation", just when (as he asks apprehensively if they also called Girl D and Nishigata at present time and knew of what the yakkais would do) the yakkais begin to explain how their consorting with the members in question has been going on for over one year already. The second is on the question of whether Nishigata, Girl D and Tano knew of the incident of that night, after Maho brings up that those are the members they said they got informed by. Once A says "maybe they do know of it", the staff (especially concerned about Nishigata) cuts in saying "It doesn’t matter if they know or not".
    ● Who that staff is, it's anyone's guess. The Kansai tone makes people wonder if it's that piece of scum Suwa, who was shipped to NGT from SKE. Maho doesn't sound particularly happy to see him arriving to the place either, even asking "Why are you there?", suggesting she knows he's bad news (or as a theory, that it's the yakkais that called him over). Needless to say Suwa is also the manager in charge of Nishigata, so...
    Edit: Actually, due to one transcription mistake on Bunshun's part, at the start they leave manager Suwa's name unbleeped-out (!) because they mistook Mofu as saying "Should I call staff-san?" instead.
    ● The key to Tano's room is left in the building's mail box where anyone is virtually free to pick it up and use to get inside as they please (in the Shincho transcript this part where the yakkais explain it was inexplicably hidden under an [inaudible bit]). Apparently it was a friend of the yakkai group to inform them that Tano had vacated the place and she told them they could get inside since the rental period for it is short too.
    All of this situation prompts Maho to ask Mofu, and then the police, to give a call to the landlord several times to explain the rental status of the room, seeing how they got access to it without actually moving in.
    ● To no one's surprise, the wota that Nishigata was spotted by Maho hanging out with sometime before turns out to be Kaisei (Man #3 in the third party report, and C in the Bunshun transcript, which is the notations used inside). Maho mentions it in the initial talk with Mofu in the building, but in the Shincho transcript it's hidden, just saying that "Previously she and [fan's nickname] were there together too".
    ● C was also in a (romantic!) relationship with Girl E, which is in all likelihood Hagiri. This is from the Bunshun article itself, rather than the audio bits, but after the incident when asked about informations from the NGT management she confessed she was "dating with C". She already received punitive measures for it.
    ● In fact, a large part of the discussion between the group and the yakkais sees them trying to contact Girl E (as well as other members at first, the ones that according to A, or Man #1, "are associated with", among which is Girl D who informed them of when Maho would be back) and have her come over to explain things up for Maho, for whatever it's worth, and beg pardon.
    At one point, Maho even gets to look at C's KakaoTalk message history, so as to confirm he isn't lying. C seems to be the one holding all contacts infos here. As it turns out in later talk by the yakkais, Girl E happened also to live in the same building as Maho, and knew of the events to the extent of suggesting "you may try having a talk down the hallway".
    ● Before the staff, the yakkais do admit to have personally consulted with "various girls" on what way they could get to "meet" with Maho, before acting out, along the same lines. Girl E looks like to have been one of the them.
    ● Anyhow, regarding what the purpose of moving to the park was: it's apparent at the very beginning that, after the failed attempt, the plan was that A, or Man #1, had negotiated to call over every member associated to this, or that at least he is intimate with, and have them gather there at the park to collectively explain and excuse themselves to Maho, with the men assuring to keep themselves away at a distance.
    As the perpetrators were made to step to a lower floor, the group managers were previously called by Maho and Mofu on speakerphone inside the building (see the testimony in the research report) before even exiting, in the meantime, and ordered by the two to stay posted around the park without being noticed, for their part.
    Although "there are also some who cannot come, and others who I can't get in contact with", A says, at least Girl E did answer the call, a thing repeated even in front of the staff even though "there are also others apart from that".
    The initial talk between Maho and Murakumo seems to suggest that they were debating between choosing the park or what was Tano’s room as the gathering place for the members. Maho later commented that "we'll cause other people to have misunderstandings" if they did at a certain other place.
    ● Both the staff and the yakkais clearly referring to the place as a dormitory, in contrast to Hayakawa's claims it's not.
    In one part, in response to the staff, A says: "Today... we have already met with you in the past. Do you know how there’s this place where everyone is, over there, how there’s a dormitory? Well, we too… are over there and there're those other members with which, to tell it honestly, we often meet together, hang around having fun together, have dinners together a little at times."
    The rest is the same as found in the AKS lawsuit complaint, but missing that part.
    ● Winner quote from Mofu shortly before getting on the bus: "I couldn't have ever imagined this was such a shitty group". How can I fault her? (Besides, the staff bus arrives as quickly as 8 minutes into the recording, just leaving this info here for good measure)
     
    Last edited: Feb 17, 2024
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  2. Bloodforge

    Bloodforge Kenkyuusei

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    Could Maho or her agency potentially sue them for defamation/libel for spreading false information?
     
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  3. broz0rs

    broz0rs Next Girls

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  4. ayyu

    ayyu Kenkyuusei

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    the audio backs up maho, everything he said in the original showroom.
    While management has been trying to feed misinformation and try to twist it against her.

    they were calming that maho was connected to the criminals, but the audio proved she had no idea who these people were.

    And they had the audio this entire time.

    GG management
     
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  5. eko p

    eko p Kenkyuusei

    Joined:
    Mar 10, 2013
    Staff immediately downplay the incident like that is weird unless it’s already happened before or at least he knew what’s some member did with the criminal group or whale fans
    Mofu “クソグループ” remark also weird if this is the first time this type of incident happen, unless she already knew some member bad behavior and what’s the management did to protect them
    I mean if this is the first time, she shouldn’t immediately jump and blame the whole group unless she already know something
     
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  6. bonjourmarlene

    bonjourmarlene Under Girls Wiki48 Editor

    Joined:
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    UK-AUT
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    With all the awful things that have happened, I think this is still the worst. I understand telling your group's fans that the girls didn't have a relationship with the attackers because relationships are lowkey taboo in the first place. I understand keeping quiet about who the involved members are in order to avoid them being attacked by fans. I understand shutting down SNS use to try and calm down the situation. I understand halting NGT48 idol activities until things are resolved.

    But this... why on earth would they tell the police that she's exaggerating and she had her hand grabbed? Just why? Why were they trying so hard to protect the assaulters and cause even more trauma to this poor girl? It's like they were trying to gaslight her and make her feel like she was only causing trouble by speaking up about this (and this ideology kept going on and on, with how they made her apologise eventually as well).

    It's already bad enough when you're physically assaulted, but downplaying it and attempting to make her question what happened to her is just awful.
     
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  7. welp

    welp Next Girls

    Joined:
    Jun 18, 2017
    So, from info Cisalpine88 himself provided, Tano had moved out of the room when the yakkais started using the room as their regular gathering place. In the audio file, a yakkai said Tano told them she was vacating the room so they could rent it from the landlord. In the court document, it was concluded that the defendants had "rented" the room. Yet, he insisted Tano had not moved out. [hehe] The question was if/why Tano still was named the tenant when another person had started renting the room and, not if Tano still was using that room as her place.

    According from what I've read, the yakkais never said Nishigata and Tano aided them. Maho tried pressing them to say so but they kept avoiding to say "Yes". All the yakkais said about members' involvements were
    - Some members gave their ideas on how they might approach Maho to convince her to join their gang. Such action unintentionally and indirectly related to the assault.
    - 1 member/kenkyusei told them, when asked, Maho was heading to the apartment. This totally isn't tell if she had known anything about the yakkais' plan.
    - Tano helped them renting the room. Tano surely simply thought they would use the room for gathering and not at all aware it would be used to attack Maho several days later.

    My conclusion from what I've read so far is
    - These wotas were familiar names/faces to all NGT's members, Maho included. NGT's staffers also knew them well.
    - These wotas had had some NGT's members/kenkyuseis within their gang and planned to recruit more.
    - Maho was 1 of their target and, in that day, they approached her to court her to join their gang.
    - The attack was not planned as it would ruin their purpose to court her.
    - They calling another gang member over showed they meant to do no harm on her or, they had unnecessarily exposed their accomplice.
    - They calling another NGT's girl over was meant to affirm Maho that they weren't threats to her so they could court her to join their gang again.
    - Nishigata and Tano had no direct involvement to the incident. No member/kenkyusei intentionally involved in the assault.
    - Nishigata and Tano's direct involvement was totally Maho's imagination/false conclusion.
    - Maho knew the wotas didn't meant to do her any physical harm. She confronted them, asked them to go to the park to talk over. She also was fine when they said they would bring another man.
    - Maho tried to plea the executive to punish Nishigata and Tano for what she falsely accused them of but, it's no reaction.
    - Maho then purposedly over dramatized the case and linked Nishigata and Tano to the case to find assumed justice.

    Is it? My opinion on Maho has changed drastically.
     
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  8. Cisalpine88

    Cisalpine88 Next Girls

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    Twitter:
    speranzom
    You haven't read enough, in this case. Tano's and Nishigata's involvement (as well as who turns out to be Otsuka's, thank Bunshun again for leaving even her name unbleeped-out) was first mentioned by the assaulters themselves before, while in a spat inside of the building. For one thing, at the very least in the account of the incident it says this (the notations are that of the third party commitee's research report, not to be confused with Bunshun's):
    甲は、山口氏に対して、「メンバーにも相談して、メンバーに提案されて、やったことだから。」、「こうすればまほほんと話せるよと提案された。」と言い、そのメンバーとしてA、B、Cの3人の名前を挙げた。
    Man #1, turning to Yamaguchi, also told "I had consulted with other members too, and received suggestions from them, so I did", "They suggested me that this way I would get to have a talk with Mahohon", while bringing up the names of A, B, and C, as of those members.
    https://www.danshihack.com/2019/03/21/junp/yamaguchi-maho-5.html

    Just to prove it of course happened, this same talk was referenced multiple times in the audio recording afterwards with Maho inquiring about the role played by those "they mentioned before". Also, unlike what someone had assumed, rather than going back on it, they simply bring Girl E/Hagiri into the discussion as their readily available contact.
    They definitely don't go back about Tano, if anything they mount on it, it's only Nishigata they are reticent about except for the third man briefly (also independently) coming out as associating with her.
     
    Last edited: Sep 16, 2019
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  9. Reveen

    Reveen Under Girls

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    You demonstrate as little knowledge of this case as you do of the 48-group in general.

    Stick to waffling about k-pop, at least you have half a clue about that.
     
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  10. kira7x

    kira7x Kenkyuusei

    Joined:
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    Oshimen:
    watanabemayu
    I agree that they never wanted to phisically hurt Mahohon, but their behavior of trying to force girls into their gang is disgusting.
    If i understand right in the end they were a group of friends made up of Nishigata, Tano, Hagiri and 3 guys + some of NGT staff, correct?

    What i don't get is why did Ogiyuka support Tano? Just because they are friends? Or because she is also a member of the gang?
    And what did Sato Anju, Seiji Reina, Yamada Noe and Kato Minami do? Are they also members of the gang?

    Thanks a lot for the translation.
     
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  11. wlerin

    wlerin Next Girls

    Joined:
    Mar 23, 2012
    Oshimen:
    Taniguchi Megu
    Yeah, it's amusing to see him claim she hadn't moved out in one paragraph, then prove she had a few paragraphs later--iirc it was mentioned some time before that renters in that complex return the key to their apartment by mail when they move out. The yakkai didn't say Tano told him she was moving out so he could rent it, however. Only that he heard she was moving out and so checked the postbox.

    Cisalpine seems a bit confused on this part of the recording though, maybe he thinks they were hiding it in the mailbox. Can't really blame him, it's a confusing series of evasions, but Maho seems to understand what was meant in her summary to the officer at the end.

    You say that, and yet repeatedly during the course of the discussion they say their contacts with these members aren't as direct as Maho keeps insisting.

    Way more guys involved, and I don't think they were trying to "force" girls into any sort of gang, just wanted to "connect" with them. Only their attempt to approach Mahohon went wildly out of hand for some reason.
     
    Last edited: Sep 11, 2019
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  12. Humbucker

    Humbucker Next Girls

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    If that's the case, then their "kabe-don attempt" went reeeeeeeeeal wrong... the worst attempt ever, I would say.
     
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  13. Cisalpine88

    Cisalpine88 Next Girls

    Joined:
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    Location:
    Italy
    Twitter:
    speranzom
    >Yeah, it's amusing [...]
    I wouldn't have found it half as amusing if I didn't see that to this day they can't even settle on a clear date for when Tano moved out, and we are left to choose a random date inside of a slider going from "one year and half before the incident" (according to the first Bunshun scoop, clearly following AKS's script), "half a year before the incident" or rather "since last July" (Hayakawa on a couple of different occasions), to "about one year before the incident" (AKB Shinbun's issue from just last month, because yes). If there was an actual set point when she moved out they wouldn't have to be so indecisive...

    With that said, the first segment I am referring to (once again, because I have brought it up before) is this. If even the members on the same floor don't know she was no longer there after supposedly 1.5 years/5 months/~1 year, then what does it mean? Because that's what this exhange says...:
    [​IMG] [​IMG]
    "Mofu Girl M: That park over there. How about it? Should I contact the staff Suwa-san? Do we tell we are in the park?
    Yamaguchi: ... Or else, wouldn't it have been better if we go have a talk in Ayakani's room? Or does it feel scary to you?
    Girl M: Isn't Ayakani in Ayakani's room?
    Yamaguchi: She's not. But I see they are borrowing what's Ayakani's room. Really. They even have the keys
    Girl M: That's pretty disturbing."

    >maybe he thinks they were hiding it in the mailbox
    Never implied that. The problem here is them picking up the keys freely without ever having to actually move into the apartment, hence why Maho keeps questioning them about whether or not the keys were handed over directly to them from Tano, if in that condition. Once they deny it was directly, that they heard she returned them once and went to check instead, they go on about how the keys that were left in the post box were -- to use their same weasel words -- "transferred" or "inherited" to them once they heard (from a friend of the yakkais that is referred to as W, as it turns out later) that Tano had vacated the apartment, and they asked for them to borrow. As Maho keeps saying while asking for explanations, the issue is that "you don't just get the keys without moving in", to which they can't answer.
    Add to it that they let it out in the discussion that they indeed got to know directly from Tano (as they claim, at handshake events a year or so back) that Maho lived on the other side, for whatever it's worth, by naming the name themselves.

    >but Maho seems to understand what was meant in her summary to the officer at the end
    Even at the end of the recording, Maho seems to regard it just as suspicious as everyone else:
    [​IMG] [​IMG]
    "Police: That man, he was talking about borrowing a room inside of the building, anyway...
    Yamaguchi: I can't tell if that's true or not, so I want to have a call with the landlord. As what that man tells, before him another member was living there, on the other side as mine. I have to wonder if he didn't just receive the keys from that person
    Yamaguchi: Based on what that man says, the landlord put the keys back in that post box, and then he picked them up from there, he says that they borrowed the room, even though they didn't even move in. So, I want to have a call with the landlord to verify things.
    "
     
    Last edited: Jul 11, 2023
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  14. Dill

    Dill Next Girls

    Joined:
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    the lenght one would go just to say "I was right, you are wrong and Maho is a little over dramatic fake victim whom those poor sweet boys wanted just talk with" is dramatically disgusting at this point.
     
    Last edited: Sep 12, 2019
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  15. Israel

    Israel Kenkyuusei

    Joined:
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    Oshimen:
    takahashijuri
    I have got a point there, We have to remember that the event was on December, and we don't know if Tano moved out or not, maybe she was in another place. Another thing is that the company which managed the rent apartments for the NGT members are part or are linked to Kato Mina's Father group, that will be a big trouble to identify when Tano supposed to move out. Moreover I am wondering how unemployed guys can pay a rent of a room. Finally we are discussing about the recording when the assault had happened and we are not considering the stress about the assault and why the NGT Management didn't let her file the lawsuit against the assaulters. Idk why what's the reason for not to file a lawsuit. If someone knows can help us to understand.
     
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  16. minaeshi

    minaeshi Next Girls

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    Twitter:
    minaeshit
    He still hasn't answered my question either lol
     
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  17. ayyu

    ayyu Kenkyuusei

    Joined:
    Mar 26, 2019
    Oshimen:
    kodamaharuka
    In what world do you accidentally attack someone?
    If someone didnt interrupt the attack who knows how far it could of gone.
    If maho started screaming would they have suffocated untill she passed out to keep her quiet? Left bruises? Maho not knowing if she is going die.

    for them to grab her like that to trying to force themselves into her room, they must of know Maho wouldnt be a willing participant or react badly to them knocking at her door. because thats all they had to do if they wanted to talk to her. why the ambush


    even in your own theory/conclusion- there would be no blame on Maho. Its management incompetence and irresponsible behaviour of other members.

    Lets assume your general theory is correct

    You come home to the dorm from work, your about to go into your room when known associates of your colleague suddenly burst through from a room where you assumed your colleague lived. They attack you( you dont dispute she was attacked- only that they didnt mean it).
    What are your first thoughts afterwards when they tell you other members are involved?

    1. how did they know when i was coming home? who told them?
    2. why did they come out of my colleague room???? she is clearly involved somehow.
    3. you are calling other members to come explain- how many of my co workers where involved?

    these are reasonable assumptions. Especially if there has been member rivalries or possible tension amongest the members(teamN, team G).
    Those criminals should of not have known when she came home or been across the hall. The negligence of staff and those members allowed those circumstances to happen and should of been investigated by management with consequences.
    Maho spoke out because they buried it. What would prevent same thing from happening again? The mental and emotional pain of the assault, the fear of it happening again.
    she knew when she made that showroom it would probably lead her to be blacklisted/ending her career . And thats what AKS would of done successfully if there wasent such a surprising strong reaction from the public. She made that video at her breaking point, she had to kept it quiet for months.

    From what management and the criminals said i think its possible the criminals where squatting in tanos room, and at the very least tano told them she moved and where to find the key. Her moving out (if she moved out) was not common knowledge even to fellow members.


    .
     
    Last edited: Sep 13, 2019
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  18. ForrestFuller

    ForrestFuller Senbatsu

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  19. Cisalpine88

    Cisalpine88 Next Girls

    Joined:
    Aug 28, 2009
    Location:
    Italy
    Twitter:
    speranzom
    I promised to myself to keep myself away from this discussion due to how accursed the matter is (and it certainly doesn't help that this forum keeps having a stroke for most part of the week), but screw me -- I'm coming back just for a little follow-up.
    If someone remembers the tweet above that Maho had posted during the AKS press conference at the release of the research report, then it turns out that a briefing of the the first ever visit of "those three people" (Matsumura, Hayakawa, and the ever-irrelevant Okada) to the prefectural offices of Niigata, the one that Maho was referring to in that tweet, was retrieved by the members of Secret Night, a group keeping track on the case.
    In fact, given how it is itself a public document in the Prefecture archives, it can be normally requested for information disclosure at the right department, hoping it is marked as available for release, as the guys did manage to (mirror here).

    The video showcasing the document can be found here (mirror here), but it turns out it was more irredeemably awful than expected. Attention goes to the first page in particular -- I imagined this was a desperate sort of damage control, but this goes more right into defamation, all to save their own business, with the way it tries in particular to downplay the very own incident before your money-lenders. I see trying to discredit your own people behind their back is all too commonplace in AKS. Well, kudos to Maho for having put up with this shitty group long enough as she did...:

    [​IMG]
    AKS's visit to the department (for information sharing purposes)

    Date: January 22, 2019 (Tuesday), 17:15~17:25
    Venue: Meeting hall #301
    Guests: [blacked out (30 characters)] of AKS
    Hosts: PR supervisor Sugiyama, Chief Sekine and Assistant Chief Enoki of the Department of public relations & public information, PR officer and Chief examiner Ichimura

    Discussion summary:
    [AKS [blacked out (6 characters)]]
    ・ Today we have made a courtesy call to various medias, and only the journalists at (Niigata) Nippo, from their Digital division, had intervened and it resulted in a sort of interview. That makes us think that, quite possibly, it will be published (on their WEB section) by the morning issue due out tomorrow, or at some point onward, we don't know exactly.
    ・ We were faced with quite pressing questions, we answered about what things we could, so now we have arrived to inform on it accordingly.
    ・ (On the matters of NGT's Yamaguchi Maho) We were pressed regarding the incident.
    There's some talk coming up in various places about whether or not Yamaguchi then went out to the park, but bottom line is that Yamaguchi herself was addressed by voice by the perpetrators while in the building complex and so she let out a loud scream out of surprise. It's not that she had her head clutched or anything like that -- since it would be like, you know, (Turn into a commotion? Be noticeable?) if she stayed into the building, she thus moved out to the park and there a talk ensued for around an hour. Since she herself (Yamaguchi) says to be the offended victim so she is assumed to be -- also as the perpetrators explained about what the circumstances were like, she herself brought up the names of a variety of members, it is at that place that the names were brought up. Following that, they then got in touch with the staff through a member and afterwards the staff, said member, and the perpetrators had a discussion at the park. At that time Yamaguchi was not in her right mind, but after hearing the discussion, the staff contacted the police and [blacked out (7 characters)] and sometime later they were handed over to the police, that's roughly the way we had the chance to relate about it.
    ・ Concerning the fact that the perpetrators were in the same building as where the members were living, it's that the perpetrators did actually live in there. [blacked out (38 characters)] the perpetrators moved in there. (As an agency) we did not borrow all of it wholesale. Point is, after that the perpetrators then went to reside inside (that building). What we have come to discuss up to this point is all content that we could manage to fact-check.
    ・ Apart from that, there are various rumors surrounding Yamaguchi that have been coming up, as in how there could possibly be this member, or that other member who..., and such like, but even the management side doesn't have an understanding of it, regarding that. (One can speculate if maybe) also as a result of this, (the perpetrator) was ruled without a non-prosecution. The members (referred to by the rumors) are currently undergoing questioning. We did hear that as well, but frankly speaking we have no idea. For this reason, we are tasking a third-party committee with examining on it.
    ・ As told just now, we had a talk on concrete terms, we don't know whether or not it's going to be published as an article, but we encouraged them to please keep it off the record. We can't tell what decision was taken as a result, which is why we hastened to give a notice to the Prefecture of Niigata.

    [​IMG]
    [PR supervisor Sugiyama]
    ・ As we are still waiting for the official comment by the third-party committee, I'd thank for responding to us in a precise manner.

    [AKS [blacked out (6 characters)]]
    ・ As for the third-party committee, like it was explained yesterday, we are preparing so that it will be set up within the current week, or at least so that we can make an announcement by the beginning of next week at latest. There won't be any changes in schedule.

    [Department Chief Sekine]
    ・ We'd like that vital information will keep being shared.
    ・ As of late, the kind of complaints directed at the Prefecture are changing. About that (video with the) duct tape or something, we don't know what to make of it.

    [AKS [blacked out (6 characters)]]
    ・ We managed to confirm with the manager that what made it into the news article isn't true, but as for the members having done a similar thing, we'll check later.
    ・ It's a question of, shall we say, morals, it also has to do with the self-awareness of the people involved, so we'd like to go on and educate them.

    [Department Chief Sekine]
    ・ The concern from the people of the prefecture and the public at large is great, or to put it better, is it not right after all that you are yourselves a public presence, to a certain degree...?
    ・ Requesting that information be shared even from here on.

    ---
    All in all, apart from the fact that not a single detail of what is inside was truthful to reality in the end (even the talk "in the park" lasted <8 minutes before the staff bus arrived, why lying?), it also explains a lot of suspicious things that occurred back at the beginning of this controversy. The way how right after Maho's reveal, several lowly news outlets (Sponichi, Tokyo Sports, Josei Seven, along with a certain disinfo account, and who still remembers the first ever Shuukan Bunshun broadcast?) seemed to give the same fanciful account of the incident at once (as credited to a certain "NGT48 informant") which didn't match with anything that was out so far or even what the police acknoweldged. The fact any of them preferred to go with this story, even if for a short amount of time, should reasonably brand them as lapdog media of AKS.
    Also, the way the NGT management seemed to react as hilariously strong as they did about that duct tape thing (which is because they were pressured by the very people that pay for their existence), but not at all to what Bunshun was spewing out in the meantime (that's because they themselves were the source spreading these stories, at least partially, as it is revealed).
    Not to mention, the reaction of the sponsors shortly after the release of the third party report and the following press conference, when they cut off all contracts with AKS, which in light of all this is absolutely appropriate and justified if you were to read inside and come to the realization you have been bamboozled all along. If you lie to the organizations that give you help funds, only to make sure they'll keep giving you money as before, then losing their support is a more than just punishment in anyone's book.
    I hope NGT48 won't see another deal with local firms ever again, not without a pair of very powerful binoculars at least. "Work to regain trust" my ass, they really did bring everything upon themselves after all, and I don't feel the least bit sorry.
    You are trying to figure out who "is lying the most", as you said yourself, so as to see where to shift the blame, but you already had the first prize in your hands since the beginning, Yoshinari.
    Goodbye. Also shame on any who still thinks of giving them a little bit of benefit of doubt.
     
    Last edited: Jan 28, 2022
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  20. Reveen

    Reveen Under Girls

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    From the start AKS have been engaged in "black propaganda" against Maho. They've spread stories about her being mentally unstable and having connections with the perpetrators, Instead of getting behind Maho and supporting her 100%. "Blame the victim" is a stereotype of Japan but in this case it seems to be a policy of AKS and especially of it's boss Yoshinori. Rather than having empathy for Maho, she treats her like an enemy.

    Even when Maho leaves her company the black progaganda continues, a couple of weeks before Maho's photobook release they intensified again as if AKS wants to spoil Maho's comeback. An interesting entry on Saitowinterstar's blog about AKS being a stakeholder of Taishu group who just incidentally happen to be engaged in spreading rumours and allegations about Maho.

    One of the papers that has dealt fairly with the case was Niigata Nippo, I was hoping for a follow up to this entry on SWS blog but I can't remember seeing a conclusion from Hoshi.

    Hoshi.jpg
    The reason behind the attack has always been one of the most questionable issues. The "we just wanted to talk to her" excuse has always seemed lame and lacking credibility. Maho going to management about the "consortings" prompting yakkai to confront Maho over the possibility of their fun and games being interrupted seems more credible.
     
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