A former junior high school teacher pleaded guilty Tuesday to confining a 12-year-old girl, resulting in her death.
In the first hearing of his trial at the Kobe District Court, Ken Fukumoto, 34, a former teacher in Hyogo Prefecture, admitted to the charge and expressed his apologies for the death of Noriko Kamiie.
She was a junior high school student in Osaka who Fukumoto met through a telephone dating club.
According to the indictment, Fukumoto allegedly sprayed her with tear gas on July 24, handcuffed her and caused her to fall from the car they were in onto the Chugoku Expressway in Kobe, where he abandoned her. She was then hit by a passing truck.
The girl, found lying on the expressway in Kita Ward, Kobe, was rushed to a hospital but later died of blood loss. She also had a fractured left leg.
In a separate hearing, Fukumoto pleaded not guilty to stealing about 30,000 yen in cash from a 17-year-old girl.
The defendant allegedly stole the money after taking her to a hotel in Kyoto Prefecture on June 9, spraying her with tear gas and handcuffing her.