Japan's Most Wanted: Fugitive Murder Suspect Pictured in Game
Japan's Most Wanted: Fugitive Murder Suspect Pictured in Game
November 14, 2008
Japanese game company Famista will place the picture of a fugitive murder suspect in an upcoming PC game.
Sky News reports that Tatsuya Ichihashiis (far left) is wanted for the sadistic murder of Lindsay Hawker, a 22-year-old English tutor. Her body was found in the suspect's apartment in March. The young woman had been bound, strangled, and beaten over the course of a 36-hour ordeal.
Ichihashi's face, along with those of other wanted men, will appear in a slot machine game. Hitting the jackpot will reveal detailed information about the fugitives and explain how to report tips. Famista spokesperson Takashi Saito commented:
We thought this could be a new way to contribute to the community. There are many internet sites that display photos of those on the wanted list, but they are not necessarily visited frequently. By mixing it with entertainment, we thought we could make some contribution to the police efforts.
UPDATE: Sky News is now reporting that the family of victim Lindsay Hawker is upset about Famista's plans to include information about her murder in the game. Julia Hawker, Lindsay's mother, said:
We have not been consulted about this - the first we heard about it was through the Sky News website and we are not happy about this. We have contacted the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and have asked them to contact the Japanese Police to find out what they know about it and why we have not been consulted.
I also want to know if this is a commercial venture, as if it is, then it is in extremely poor taste. The whole thing is distasteful and not befitting Lindsay's memory.
The family has established a website devoted to finding Lindsay's killer.
UPDATE 2: Big in Japan identifies the Famista offering as Slot Detective, a Pachinko-style game:
Famista have tried to justify the release of this machine by saying it is providing a valuable social service. This game, playable online, through your mobile phone or in pachinko parlours, will give information about the wanted people if you get a jackpot, the crimes they are suspected of and what to do if you see them (probably something along the lines of, “Just have one more gamble before you report them”).
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Posted 11/07/09 at 04:27pm
ZippyDSMlee: man I got alot of junk and dup files too >< god I need orginization...and no not the knee capping media mafia kind :P
ZippyDSMlee: man I got alot of junk and dup files too >< god I need orginization...and no not the knee capping media mafia kind :P
Posted 11/07/09 at 04:26pm
ZippyDSMlee: replaced :P
ZippyDSMlee: replaced :P
Posted 11/07/09 at 04:23pm
ZippyDSMlee: beemoh:hey its like 60GB porn,400GB anime 100GB games and crap I have took from all my DVDs, I hate waiting on dvds to install stuff..... oh and 40GB of my porn was in the found.000 folder...mostly corrupted.... least I got names of wut needs to be repa
ZippyDSMlee: beemoh:hey its like 60GB porn,400GB anime 100GB games and crap I have took from all my DVDs, I hate waiting on dvds to install stuff..... oh and 40GB of my porn was in the found.000 folder...mostly corrupted.... least I got names of wut needs to be repa
Posted 11/07/09 at 04:18pm
beemoh: @Zip: ...and you'd have to spend all that time re-downloading that porn?
beemoh: @Zip: ...and you'd have to spend all that time re-downloading that porn?
Posted 11/07/09 at 03:34pm
ZippyDSMlee: ggrrrrr......vista lost one of my hard drives and I had a heart attack thinking I lost 1TB of data....
ZippyDSMlee: ggrrrrr......vista lost one of my hard drives and I had a heart attack thinking I lost 1TB of data....
Posted 11/07/09 at 10:58am
JDKJ: Which could be explained by both (a) and (b).
JDKJ: Which could be explained by both (a) and (b).
Posted 11/07/09 at 10:56am
Austin_Lewis: JDKJ: You forgot C) the fact that, for some reason, every time he did something that would suggest he shouldn't be in the military, let alone an officer, higher ups ignored it or let it slide.
Austin_Lewis: JDKJ: You forgot C) the fact that, for some reason, every time he did something that would suggest he shouldn't be in the military, let alone an officer, higher ups ignored it or let it slide.
Posted 11/07/09 at 10:51am
JDKJ: Part of the problem is, I believe, that (a) the Army had a lot of time and money already invested in him and which they were unwilling to simply write-off and (b) an increasing need for the type of skills and services he provided.
JDKJ: Part of the problem is, I believe, that (a) the Army had a lot of time and money already invested in him and which they were unwilling to simply write-off and (b) an increasing need for the type of skills and services he provided.
Posted 11/07/09 at 10:48am
JDKJ: And that even if he was begging not to get cut loose, he was apparently a real good candidate for being cut loose, anyway.
JDKJ: And that even if he was begging not to get cut loose, he was apparently a real good candidate for being cut loose, anyway.
Posted 11/07/09 at 10:11am
JDKJ: @chada: And while Kennedy once noted that there's usually more than enough blame for everyone to get a slice, the possibility that the Army was unwilling to cut loose someone who was asking to get cut loose could be a factor.
JDKJ: @chada: And while Kennedy once noted that there's usually more than enough blame for everyone to get a slice, the possibility that the Army was unwilling to cut loose someone who was asking to get cut loose could be a factor.
Posted 11/07/09 at 10:07am
ZippyDSMlee: *noms on his feet*..nomnomnomnom*droooll* ...wuuutttttt uuu looking at?
ZippyDSMlee: *noms on his feet*..nomnomnomnom*droooll* ...wuuutttttt uuu looking at?
Posted 11/07/09 at 10:05am
JDKJ: I'm no psychologist, but I'm told that crazy people have a tendency to do crazy things.
JDKJ: I'm no psychologist, but I'm told that crazy people have a tendency to do crazy things.
Posted 11/07/09 at 10:03am
chadachada321: Whoops, was out of the convo for awhile. I do wonder what type of ammo he used etc, but the real issue is WHY he did it, not HOW
chadachada321: Whoops, was out of the convo for awhile. I do wonder what type of ammo he used etc, but the real issue is WHY he did it, not HOW
Posted 11/07/09 at 09:56am
JDKJ: But if it turns out that they actually did, they'll have Hell to pay.
JDKJ: But if it turns out that they actually did, they'll have Hell to pay.
Posted 11/07/09 at 09:45am
JDKJ: And I'd tend to rule out the possibilty of FN Herstal supplying restricted ammunition to someone merely because they're ordering it from a military base.
JDKJ: And I'd tend to rule out the possibilty of FN Herstal supplying restricted ammunition to someone merely because they're ordering it from a military base.
Posted 11/07/09 at 09:37am
JDKJ: I know you don't leave your gated community and get around much in dark alleys, so you may be surprised to learn that there's this thing called "the black market" where, if you've got enough money, ain't too much of anything which can't be bought.
JDKJ: I know you don't leave your gated community and get around much in dark alleys, so you may be surprised to learn that there's this thing called "the black market" where, if you've got enough money, ain't too much of anything which can't be bought.
Posted 11/07/09 at 09:36am
Austin_Lewis: Or, maybe he or someone else at the base ordered the SS190 from FN Herstal.
Austin_Lewis: Or, maybe he or someone else at the base ordered the SS190 from FN Herstal.
Posted 11/07/09 at 09:32am
Austin_Lewis: the hands of private owners. They run about 300 dollars minimum for a box of 50, and boxes of AP 5.7 are extremely scarce, mainly residing in the hands of Class III stores or individuals who for one reason or another got a demo box of it.
Austin_Lewis: the hands of private owners. They run about 300 dollars minimum for a box of 50, and boxes of AP 5.7 are extremely scarce, mainly residing in the hands of Class III stores or individuals who for one reason or another got a demo box of it.
Posted 11/07/09 at 09:30am
Austin_Lewis: There are other firearms that fire the 5.7. However, I too would like to know where he got the ammo and what kind was used. Maybe Hasan, planning not to live through this, went out and bought one the boxes of SS190 that are floating around in
Austin_Lewis: There are other firearms that fire the 5.7. However, I too would like to know where he got the ammo and what kind was used. Maybe Hasan, planning not to live through this, went out and bought one the boxes of SS190 that are floating around in
Posted 11/07/09 at 08:44am
JDKJ: And it isn't yet clear what type of ammunition Hasan used. It's strange that he purchased a gun but didn't purchase ammunition for it at the same place and time. Especially because the calibre required is peculiar to the actual gun.
JDKJ: And it isn't yet clear what type of ammunition Hasan used. It's strange that he purchased a gun but didn't purchase ammunition for it at the same place and time. Especially because the calibre required is peculiar to the actual gun.
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Comments
Hmmmm
"Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety" - Benjamin Franklin
I'd kinda like to know, what freedoms are we giving up when being informed of fugitives at large?
Thats called a sig. It's not actually part of his post on the subject.
Well my face is a little red
I know what a signature is, now i've realized he decided to just waste space with a 5 character post, which I didn't read because I thought his sig WAS his post.
No, what I'm saying is this is either a really good idea... or a phenomenally bad one.
Hmmm was able to fit both statements adequately.
"Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety" - Benjamin Franklin
I guess it's no stranger than some of the most wanted terrorists being on playing cards, but it's still pretty damn strange.
But it just might work. That's putting games to a good use. Instead of bashing games for this guy's crime, they use games to bring his face to someone who might know him (by face).
That's, um...hm...it's definitely an interesting thought.
It's an interesting concept,, but why only display his face upon a jackpot? You'd think they'd have it come up more often, in order to get the message to more people.
Unless it has an actual payout, there may be a pretty high "Win" rate on it so it'll show up pretty often.
Hunting the shadows of the troubled dreams.
Seems rather gimmicky. I fail to see how it will increase awareness of the individuals in question though, since I doubt it will offer more than a grainy or crappy mug shot and a description. The problem with that is that most people wouldn't recognize someone based of a mugshot, even if they knew that person for an extended period of time.
This is kinda bothersome.
Ichihashi's face, along with those of other wanted men, will appear in a slot machine game. Hitting the jackpot will reveal detailed information about the fugitives and explain how to report tips.
The way this reads, it seems like the only way to get the actually useful information (including how to report tips) is to hit the jackpot. Otherwise all you get is a face. You'd think if they really wanted to get the information out there, it would be a bit more easily accessable. Instead it's like 'Hey, if you wanna help that's great! Just keep playing our slots long enough and you might get the chance!'
On the flip side, the mystery of it all might make the player more curious, and therefore actually commit the mug-shot to memory.
I think the idea is to beflashing the guys face a lot. You may not get the actual details unless you hit the jackpot, but I'm sure if you report to the police that you just saw that criminal on the slot machines, they could take it from there, show you 10 or 20 pictures and narrow it down.
I'm sure they have rewards for information there as well, so it's like hitting the jackpot even when you don't play. Thinking that way, it kind of makes sense.
"Hit the jackpot here, or if you see these men, hit the jackpot AGAIN!!!"
Seems strange to me too, for something this serious, why make it so gimmicky? I guess they have their reasons.
Also, that guy is one scary-looking individual.
"There is no sin except stupidity." - Oscar Wilde
The guy even looks like a creep
How... Japanese. Then again we have that god-awful America's Most Wanted drivel which is the same thing but non-interactive and with AWESOMELY bad re-enactments.
Some people not thinking what they are doing all the way though with the idea of the game, then other people not realizing exactly what they are doing it. Yes, they should have explained what they are doing to the family so they would know that they are trying to help, but sometimes we try doing good and people are too stupid or blind to realize that you are trying to help out... Thats life for you.
No good deed goes unpunished...
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