Osaka: Shrine priest suspected of sexually abusing 10 female worshippers
By Tokyo Reporter Staff on February 23, 2021
OSAKA (TR) – Osaka Prefectural Police have arrested a male priest at a shrine in Osaka City who is suspected of sexually abusing nearly one dozen female worshippers, reports Fuji News Network (Feb. 22).
In the latest allegations, Takakazu Kawabata, a senior priest at Samuhara Shrine, allegedly molested a woman who had visited the shrine for prayer in January.
According to police, Kawabata carried out such acts as pressing Shinto bells and other spiritual objects against her buttocks and touching her breasts with his hands.
On social media, Samuhara Shrine, located in Nishi Ward, has garnered a following for its supposed spiritual energy. Interest has been so great that obtaining amulets, said to ward off trouble, from the shrine is difficult.
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Osaka police officers punished for camping amid Japan s 2nd coronavirus wave
February 20, 2021 (Mainichi Japan)
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February 21, 2021 (Mainichi Japan)
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