On the morning of 26 September in Tokyo, schoolchildren on their way to a day of learning and play at Edogawa Elementary School were crossing a pedestrian land bridge. However, hanging from the rail was a little doll made of straw along with a note which read "All you f***ing brats jump from here and die."

In Japan, straw dolls (waraningyo) are used in a somewhat similar fashion to a voodoo doll, in that they are both effigies used to summon a curse upon people. Judging by the note, it would appear that someone had intended to make the children to jump to their own death through the power of the straw doll.

That someone is believed to be 41-year-old Takeshi Inaba who lives near the school. According to the Tokyo Metro Police, Inaba confessed to inflicting the curse saying "Those kids running wild in the park are too noisy."

Inaba is facing charges of criminal intimidation which, considering his supernatural method, seems a little excess.

If I were his attorney, I would argue that traditionally, the doll is made with hair or some possession of the intended victim and then nailed to a tree or wooden pillar to really get the magic flowing. By not including any personal effects or even nailing the doll, the defendant was pulling off a pretty half-assed attempt at spiritual assassination.

On the other hand, if I were the prosecutor, I would counter that he could have been adhering to Hell Girl logic in which removing a red string from the straw doll causes a demon girl to appear and devour the souls of those from whom revenge is sought.