On 26 July this year, Netflix is set to release a new true crime documentary, titled Missing: The Lucie Blackman Case. The hard-to-watch doc follows the harrowing story of Lucie Blackman, the 21-year-old British tourist who was reported missing in Japan in July 2000, but was later found dead.
Before going missing, Blackman - who had previously worked as a British Airways flight attendant - had decided to spend a year abroad in Tokyo with her friend Louise Phillips, both to discover new parts of the world and to earn money. At the time of her death, she was working at a nightclub in the Japanese city called Casablancas as a hostess, where part of the job required going on paid dates with customers.
However, after failing to return her friend's calls following one particular date, Blackman's family flew to Tokyo to start a highly publicised campaign to find their daughter. Unfortunately, in February 2001, Blackman's body was discovered, and Korean-Japanese serial rapist, Joji Obara, was accused of her murder.
But when it comes to Obara, where is he now, and was he officially charged with Lucie Blackman's case?
Who is Joji Obara?
Obara is a serial rapist and murderer who was born in Osaka, Japan in 1952. His father was a wealthy property owner and businessman, which meant Obara had access to private education and daily tutoring. In terms of higher education, he graduated from the prestigious Keio University, and following his father's death, inherited property in both Osaka and Tokyo.
Obara then invested in further property, eventually owning assets worth an estimated $38 million dollars. However, the 1990s recession caused him to lose his fortune.
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Was Joji Obara charged with Lucie Blackman's murder?
Obara was initially accused of the drugging, raping and killing of Blackman. His trial started on 4 July, 2001, five months after Blackman's body was found in a seaside cave in a small fishing village, one hour outside of Tokyo – just a few hundred metres from one of Obara's properties.
However, in April 2007, he was acquitted of Blackman's rape and murder due to lack of evidence. He was however found guilty of multiple rape charges and the manslaughter of Australian model, Carita Ridgway, who he also drugged with chloroform which caused her death in 1992.
While the death penalty does exist in Japan, it's typically reserved for 'multiple murder or aggravated single murder' cases. In the end, prosecutors charged Obara with "rape resulting in death" (relating to Ridgway's case) rather than murder, which included the rape of nine other women. This saw Obara being sentenced to life imprisonment.
Did the final verdict change?
Following criticism of Blackman's case due to crucial forensic evidence being absent from the first trial, an appeal trial was held in March 2008 at the Tokyo High Court.
In December of the same year, the court then found Obara guilty of the abduction, dismemberment and disposal of Blackman's body. The Supreme Court of Japan also rejected Obara's appeal in December 2010 and sustained his life sentence.
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Sophie Williams is a Freelance Journalist and Copywriter, covering everything from Fashion to Entertainment to music, Lifestyle and Features. She has interviewed a range of musical artists and authors including Alyssa Edwards, Courtney Barnett, Confidence Man, The Vaccines, Loyle Carner, Gabrielle, and John Niven, and has written for publications like Metro, Reader's Digest, ITV's Woo! and Vice’s NBGA. She is also working on a book for HarperCollins about Taylor Swift, due to be published in 2024.
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