美逮捕日本駐美外交官指其對妻實施家暴

中國日報網 2012-05-10 08:26

The Golden Gate Bridge is pictured from the Pacific Ocean. A Japanese diplomat posted in California has been charged with domestic violence against his wife and could face up to 20 years in jail, the local district attorney said Tuesday.

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A Japanese diplomat posted in California has been charged with domestic violence against his wife and could face up to 20 years in jail, the local district attorney said Tuesday.

Yoshiaki Nagaya, vice-consul at Japan's consulate in San Francisco, is accused of 17 felony offenses, 14 of domestic violence and three of assault, including stabbing her with a screwdriver and knocking a tooth out.

The 32-year-old pled not guilty in court on Monday, and was released on bail of $350,000, said San Mateo County District Attorney Stephen Wagstaffe, adding that the alleged offenses occurred between January 2011 and March 2012.

"The violence ranged (from) pushing and shoving, and bruising upwards (to) the most serious, (when) he knocked a tooth out. On another occasion he jabbed her or stabbed her in the hand with a screwdriver.

"On another occasion he knocked her down and stomped on her with his foot. The final occasion was when he shoved her out of a car in their parking garage, causing scrapes to her face and knees."

He added: "That was when she decided that enough was enough, and she went to the police."

Nagaya does not have diplomatic immunity for the alleged offenses. "There is immunity, but not when you're doing things in your purely private life, for somebody at his level," said Wagstaffe.

Both Nagaya and his wife are due back in court on June 14 for a preliminary hearing. A restraining order was issued, barring the diplomat from having any contact with his wife in the meantime.

Michio Harada, the deputy consul general at Japan's Consulate General in San Francisco, said Nagaya remained on the staff pending developments or a decision from Tokyo.

"If those charges are true it would be quite regrettable, certainly, but we would like to see how the court proceedings develop and then the final outcome," he told the reporters.

The consulate general was not providing legal support. "This is not related to our official work, it's a private thing, so I understand he has his own lawyer for a criminal case."

Regarding Nagaya's job, he added: "The decision is mostly made by Tokyo but at this moment I don't think we can do anything. He is with us now. He's not in the office, but he works for us."

(Read by Lee Hannon. Lee Hannon is a journalist at the China Daily Website.)

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(Agencies)

美國地方檢察官周二稱，一位駐加利福尼亞州的日本外交官被控對妻子實施家庭暴力，可能會面臨20年監禁。

長屋嘉明是日本駐舊金山領事館的副領事，他被控犯下17項重罪：14項家庭暴力罪和3項侵犯人身權利罪。罪行包括用螺絲刀捅妻子，打落她的一顆牙齒。

圣馬特奧市的地方檢察官史蒂芬?瓦格斯達菲說，這名32歲的外交官周一在法庭上辯稱無罪后，繳了35萬美元保釋金被釋放。他還說，這名外交官被指控的罪行是在2011年1月到2012年3月期間發生的。

“他實施的暴力包括推搡、將妻子渾身上下打出多處瘀傷，最嚴重的一次還打掉了一顆牙齒。還有一回他用螺絲刀戳、刺入妻子的手。

“還有一次他把妻子打倒在地，并用腳在她身上使勁踩踏。最后一次施暴是將妻子從自家停車庫的車里推出去，致使她臉部和膝蓋擦傷。”

該檢察官補充說：“這時候妻子覺得自己受夠了，于是她就去報了警。”

長屋對被指控的罪名沒有外交豁免權。瓦格斯達菲說：“外交官有豁免權，但像他這樣級別的外交官，在純私生活中并不享有行為責任豁免權。”

長屋和他的妻子將于6月14日重返法庭參加初步聽證會。此前已發布了限制令，禁止這名外交官在此期間同妻子有任何聯系。

日本駐舊金山總領事館的副總領事原田道夫說，在日本政府有任何動向或決定之前，仍將保留長屋的職位。