Two weeks ago, investigators arrested Mitsunobu Hino, a 72-year-old resident of Matsudo, on charges of property damage after Hino was seen on security camera footage carrying a wara ningyo at a shrine shortly before one of the dolls was found nailed to the ground’s sacred tree.

Hino didn’t exactly deny the charges when investigators came to his home to place him under arrest, but it turns out he won’t be facing any legal repercussions, at least for the time being, as the charges against him have been dropped.

Hino was released from police custody shortly after his arrest, and on Monday investigators said that prosecution will not be going ahead against Hino. This isn’t because he’s no longer suspected of nailing the doll to the tree, but because the shrine where he was seen on video, Mikazuki Shrine, has decided not to pursue the matter any further. “The victim has withdrawn the complaint,” explained a spokesperson for the Chiba Public Prosecutor’s Office’s Matsudo division. ...continue reading