By South China Morning Post | Created at 2026-06-21 00:01:39 | Updated at 2026-06-23 19:10:51
2 days ago
She was among five girls in
Japan believed to have beaten a boy so severely that he required hospital treatment. Yet her most pressing concern was how much money the group should demand from him. To find an answer, she turned to artificial intelligence.
The alleged assault took place in January in Hachioji, a city in western Greater Tokyo.
For experts, the case has exposed a disturbing pattern: Japanese adolescents instinctively turning to AI to guide their actions, including criminal ones, rather than exercising their own judgment or restraint.
Police said the boy, a high-school student, suffered serious injuries, with five girls accused of carrying out the attack.
But it took a second, higher-profile case of alleged violence, this time involving a sporting celebrity, to focus Japan’s attention on AI’s far-reaching social impact.
Shinnosuke Abe, 47, manager of the storied Yomiuri Giants baseball team, was arrested at his Tokyo home on May 25 on suspicion of assaulting his 18-year-old daughter. The team announced his resignation the following day.
