Japan's death threat hacker collared ... BY A CAT

A Japanese hacker who hijacked computers using malware before issuing death threats through the compromised machines has been jailed for eight years. Yusuke Katayama, 32, threatened to blow up planes and attack a kindergarten attended by the grandchildren of Japan's Emperor Akihito before he was finally nabbed in February 2013 …

[Destroy All Monsters]

COPS! In the US, the beat you to death. In the Japan, you must confess.

Two of these hapless suspects confessed to crimes which the National Police Agency was later obligated to omit they had no involvement.

Standard operating procedure over there, I hear.

[AbelSoul]

Re: COPS! In the US, the beat you to death. In the Japan, you must confess.

Indeed.

I only signed in to post that this was the scariest part of the whole story.

How many "confessed criminals" in Japanese gaols are actually nothing of the sort?

[Frumious Bandersnatch]

Re: COPS! In the US, the beat you to death. In the Japan, you must confess.

Standard operating procedure over there, I hear.

I don't know why you're getting downvotes, as what you say does seem to be accurate. From the Wikipedia page on the Japanese Criminal Justice system:

Confession in Japanese criminal investigation

Many Western human rights organizations alleged that the high conviction rate is due to rampant use of conviction solely based on confession. Confessions are often obtained after long periods of questioning by police as those arrested may be held for up to 23 days. This can, at times, take weeks during which time the suspect is in detention and can be prevented from contacting a lawyer or family.[3]

And here's a link to a BBC article on the same topic that also suggests reasons why people confess.

These were the two top links when I searched for "japanese police confessions", btw, not just links I cherry-picked to support the argument.

[Mark 85]

Re: COPS! In the US, the beat you to death. In the Japan, you must confess.

I don't know why you're getting downvotes, as what you say does seem to be accurate

Probably because of the headline. Or some Japanese police types don't like the comparison.

[ravenviz]

Damned Spot!

Katayama finally outed as the anti-Hong Kong Phooey (and became framed by his cat).

[WolfFan]

That is not a normal cat

Unless Japanese cats are on drugs. Normal cats would object, vigorously, to inferior monkeys daring to touch their divine persons.

The Japanese police drugged the cat and planted the collar on it! It's a frame-up!

[Voland's right hand]

I do not grok the role of the cat

There has already been at least one successful cat-assisted war-driving experiment.

Some of the smaller android phones (which also happen to have cyanogen loads and root access) can be attached without a lot of trouble to a cat collar. Load a WiFi attack suite, let the moggie do a tour of the neighbour's gardens and voila - here is your new and shiny botnet (nicely localized to a location too).

[Matt Bryant]

What an a**hole.

No, not Destroyed All Braincells, Yusuke Katayama. Hopefully his parole terms (if he survives prison) will include a ban from ever using any Internet connected device ever again, on penalty of instant return to prison. Come to think of it, that would be a neat way to keep the little toerag out of circulation. No, Yusuke Katayama, not Destroyed!

[Lionel Baden]

Re: What an a**hole.

Well i get what your trying to say but.....

That would mean any automated phone service, a cash point, ticket machine .... The list really does go on.

I refused to down-vote, as you are angered by his despicable crime, and that anger is understandable.

silver linings and all, they caught him.

[Michael Hawkes]

FTFY

"Two of these hapless suspects confessed to crimes which the National Police Agency was later obligated to admit they had no involvement in."

わかりますか？

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: FTFY

>わかりますか?

Yes

[AbelSoul]

Re: わかりますか?

I didn't but then I googled it...........

[Lord Egerton]

Kitty Confess!!

Well I didn't expect a sort of Japanese inquisition.

Fetch me.... the fluff mouse on a string!!!

[Pedigree-Pete]

Re: Kitty Confess!!

"No one expects the Japanese inquisition"

Thanks Monty P.

Can't believe no one posted that yet.

[skeptical i]

No one escapes the long arm of the paw.

Betrayed by double agent Cata Hari.

Sorry, couldn't resist.

[AbelSoul]

Re: No one escapes the long arm of the paw.

I had a feline you'd post something like that.

[ravenviz]

Re: No one escapes the long arm of the paw.

The very idea is la-furball...

(I'm here all week)

[Vinyl-Junkie]

Re: No one escapes the long arm of the paw.

It certainly gives one paws for thought....

[Mike Moyle]

Re: No one escapes the long arm of the paw.

Katayama thought he was fooling Felis, but now he's feeling foolish.

[Anonymous Coward]

Framed by a cat

The cat was running the whole operation. I see them all the time on the internet.

[Morrie Wyatt]

He knows he's in trouble.

Being caught with his hands on the kitty, the result is likely to be catastrophic.

[J 3]

This is one crappy article...

Unintelligible, or maybe I'm being slow due to Friday. So, why the hell did the cat have an SD card on its collar? How does that have anything to do with catching the guy?

It makes you wonder: if I have to go elsewhere to understand what happened, why read The Register in the first place? Damn lazy writers...

[CaptainBanjax]

Dogs

See above.

This is in the interest of fairness.

[Looper]

Yusuke Katayama...

...a condescending little piece of shit.

One thing to play cat and mouse with the cops, another thing altogether to implicate innocent people for his threats to bomb public places, kill children etc.

A self-congratulating, little berk with an undeserved superiority complex. As usual those with egos the size of planets almost always get themselves caught when they try to be too clever.

Good riddance to the runt. Hope he gets thoroughly bummed for his crimes.