Judge arrested for allegedly stalking woman

KOFU, Yamanashi Pref. (Kyodo) A 55-year-old Utsunomiya District Court judge was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of stalking a woman in her 20s.

However, the judge has denied to police his actions were motivated by his feelings for the woman, sources said Thursday.

Yoshiharu Shimoyama is accused of repeatedly sending e-mails from Internet cafes to the woman in Yamanashi Prefecture between February and March, pressing her to meet him.

According to police, some of the e-mails read: "When can I see you next?" or "Do you work on weekends?"

Shimoyama has admitted sending the e-mails but denied he was seeking to start a relationship with the woman, the sources said.

He was serving as chief of the Tsuru branch of the Kofu District and Family Court at the time the e-mails were sent, according to police.

The woman alerted police in March that e-mails had been sent to her by an unknown person, prompting them to launch an investigation.