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| Japan’s Keito Nakamura Confronts Rising Fan Fixation as Police Detain 65-Year-Old Suspect |
Japan national team midfielder Keito Nakamura has spoken publicly after a 65-year-old woman was arrested for repeatedly sending him inappropriate messages online, marking the latest in a string of uncomfortable fan incidents linked to his rising international profile.
The woman, a self-described freelance journalist from Saitama, was taken into custody by Chiba Prefectural Police on 14 November under suspicion of violating Japan’s anti-stalking law.
According to investigators, she sent numerous direct messages to the 25-year-old Reims winger between the afternoon of 9 November and the early hours of 10 November, expressing personal affection and attempting to push the exchanges into improper territory.
Police noted that the messaging pattern had continued for months, prompting Nakamura’s representatives to consult authorities in mid-October.
Although the suspect claimed she had “no memory” of sending the posts, online observers pointed out that the accounts believed to be hers were filled with unusual self-produced content: photos of an older woman posing affectionately with plush toys and bananas, embellished with fervent Japanese declarations of lifelong devotion to Nakamura.
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She openly referred to herself as his “wife”, a tone that underscored the delusional obsession already visible across her feeds.
What has unsettled many fans is how unremarkable this case appears in the context of Nakamura’s experience.
As one of Japan’s fast-emerging football names, currently playing in France’s Ligue 1 with Reims, Nakamura has developed an unexpectedly strong following among older female supporters.
Within online football circles, it’s become something of a running joke that he attracts admirers well outside his own age group.
This incident, then, feels less like a shocking outlier and more like the extreme end of an existing culture of intense attention.
Keito Nakamura: “It Went Beyond the Limit”
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Speaking to reporters after Japan’s 2–0 friendly win over Ghana at Toyota Stadium on 14 November, Nakamura admitted the situation had escalated further than anything he could dismiss as harmless support.
“There were things that clearly crossed the line,” he said. “It went beyond the limit, so we spoke to the police and they took action. I’m relieved.”
He confirmed that the same woman had travelled to France several times, reportedly turning up near locations connected to his club.
Keito Nakamura first raised concerns with French police before contacting authorities in Japan in October.
The final wave of messages earlier this month triggered the formal complaint.
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With Keito Nakamura’s stock rising both in Europe and at home, the incident has sparked a broader conversation on the pressure placed on young athletes navigating fame in the social media era.
While parasocial behaviour among fans is far from new, the speed and visibility of these interactions has intensified, creating more opportunities for fixation to spin into something difficult to manage.
Football analysts point out that players in Nakamura’s position often find themselves balancing approachability with personal safety. The line, they say, has become thinner than ever.
Police Continue Investigation
Authorities are now reviewing the woman’s online activity and travel history to determine the full extent of her behaviour.
Although she has denied the allegations, police maintain that the content of the messages and her extended pattern of communication support the stalking charge.
For Nakamura, the priority is returning focus to his football. “I’m glad it’s been resolved for now,” he said. “Time to move on and keep working.”
Source: Yahoo JP