Man Assaulted Idol to Confess His Love

In October 2024, a man ended up assaulting former AKB48 idol Haruna Kojima. He was identified as a 42-year-old Taiwanese fan, and after several months, he is now on trial. During the hearing, he revealed his shocking motivation: he wanted to confess his love in person to the Japanese celebrity.

Man Assaulted Idol to Confess His Love

The incident took place in the busy district of Shibuya, Tokyo, following a photobook launch event for Kojima. Around 9 PM on October 28, 2024, the man — identified as Jao Ray — waited for Haruna Kojima outside the venue. When he saw her, he grabbed her and pushed her onto the street. Despite the scare, Haruna Kojima was not injured.

“I loved her and wanted to see her every day,” says the defendant during the trial

During the trial held on May 19, 2025, the defendant stated:

“I really liked her and thought about seeing her every day. When I saw her, I got excited and decided to grab her arm to confess my feelings.”

According to him, by directly expressing his feelings to her, he believed he might have a chance with Kojima—that she would simply say “yes,” or that her heart would go “doki doki” (a Japanese onomatopoeia for a racing heart) the moment he grabbed her on the street.

History of Suspicious Behavior Had Already Been Reported

Police sources said the man had been under observation since August 2024. Kojima’s team had warned the Tokyo Metropolitan Police about the troubling behavior of a fan—described as a student from Taiwan who did not speak Japanese—who was showing up at every public event attended by the artist.

Regarding the fact that he had already been warned to stay away from Kojima, he said:

“I thought they were misunderstanding me. I believed that if I told her directly that I liked her, maybe she would give me a chance.”

The suspect, who didn’t even attend the event that day, was apprehended by Kojima’s security team and handed over to local police shortly after the incident.

via Você Sabia Anime