Chinese Man Suspected of Stalking Celebrity Haruna Kojima

Tokyo, Nov. 18 (Jiji Press)--Tokyo police on Monday served a fresh arrest warrant on a Chinese man who allegedly assaulted Japanese celebrity Haruna Kojima last month on suspicion of violating the anti-stalking law, investigative sources said.

Zhao Lei, a 42-year-old Chinese student in Japan, told investigators that he liked Kojima, 36, and that people around her did not allow him to meet her, according to the sources.

He is suspected of ambushing Kojima several times since around August, including near event venues in Tokyo.

He was originally arrested on the spot after hugging Kojima and pushing her down just after she came out of the venue of an event commemorating the release of her photo book in Tokyo’s Shibuya Ward around 9 p.m. on Oct. 28.

In August, people linked to Kojima consulted with Tokyo’s Metropolitan Police Department about the suspect, saying that a radical fan had been making a fuss at events since around April.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]