Viewers of true crime documentaries often cannot look away from the screen because they want to try to solve the crime with the detectives. The compelling story of Lucie Blackman and the search for her killer is just one example of how these shows explore the darker side of human nature, which can be both horrifying and intriguing. The gripping new Netflix docuseries Missing: The Lucie Blackman Case has rekindled interest in a chilling chapter from the turn of the century. The harrowing docuseries dives into the chilling disappearance and eventual murder of Lucie Blackman, a 21-year-old British national, in Tokyo in 2000.
The series methodically unravels the mystery surrounding her case, focusing on broader, frequently overlooked themes such as societal norms, crimes committed against international travelers, and the reactions of local justice systems. Missing: The Lucie Blackman Case takes a comprehensive approach, combining interviews, archival material, and expert discussion. It includes interviews with major participants in the case, such as Lucie’s family, who spearheaded an international search for her, detectives from the Japanese and UK police forces, and journalists who covered the story. It provides an in-depth and humanized account of the events surrounding Lucie’s disappearance and the relentless search that ensued.
The disappearance of Lucie Blackman
The disappearance of Lucie Blackman shook both Japan and England. Lucie, a young flight attendant, went missing while working in Tokyo, prompting a frantic search inside and outside the city. Lucie Blackman arrived in Japan’s busy capital with her friend Louise Phillips in May 2000. The prospect of adventure and financial success seemed to be written in the stars when one considered the appeal of Tokyo’s thriving cosmopolitan life in conjunction with a good employment opportunity. Soon after their arrival, both girls got work as hostesses at Casablanca, a club in Roppongi, an upscale Tokyo neighborhood famous for its pulsating nightlife.
However, what appeared to be a pleasant start to a new life quickly turned gloomy when Lucie bid her companion farewell in the afternoon of July 1, 2000, informing her that she was going out with a client. This communication was the final time anyone heard from Lucie Blackman. Panic grew as the hours turned into days without hearing from her. Two days later, her friend Louise received a phone call from a guy who identified himself as Akira Takagi, claiming Lucie had joined him for spiritual training at a cult in Chiba prefecture, a neighboring section of Tokyo. According to an earlier report by The Guardian, the call originated from a Chiba public phone booth, with authorities suspecting the name Akira Takagi and the mentioning of a religious cult to be fabrications.
British and Japanese law enforcement agencies collaborated to search for Lucie. In the United Kingdom, the Blackman family sought public and media assistance. The subsequent search became one of the largest in Japanese history, with Lucie’s father and sister leading a persistent drive from the United Kingdom to Japan. Despite tremendous media attention and a £100,000 reward for information, it took seven months for a breakthrough. In February 2001, Lucie’s dismembered remains were found buried in a seaside cave near Miura, Kanagawa Prefecture, close to an apartment owned by a wealthy businessman, Joji Obara.
The trial and conviction of Joji Obara
As the inquiry developed, Joji Obara, a seemingly successful businessman with a dark secret, was eventually unmasked as evidence linking him to Lucie’s case and other similar incidents accumulated. In Joji Obara’s residence, the police discovered a cache of video footage depicting assaults on numerous unconscious women, exposing his predatory behavior. There were an alarming number of tapes, as many as 400 indicating a lengthy history of unreported and unresolved crimes. Obara was arrested in October 2000, first on assault accusations against women.
Following the discovery of Lucie’s remains, the charges were upgraded to include kidnapping, assault, and dismemberment. His arrest was a watershed moment in the hunt for justice for Lucie and the many other women who had fallen victim to him. However, the path to justice was far from easy. Obara maintained his innocence during one of Japan’s longest criminal prosecutions. The case was complex since Lucie Blackman’s remains were in such poor condition that it was impossible to tell what caused her death. Despite this, the prosecution produced strong evidence connecting Obara to her murder, such as a tiny bit of sand in her remains that matched the sand near Joji Obara’s coastal property.
In a shocking turn of events, Joji Obara was acquitted of Blackman’s murder in April 2007 due to insufficient evidence. He was, nevertheless, found guilty of many rapes, one of which resulted in the death of an Australian woman named Carita Ridgway in 1992. The judge imposed a life sentence on him. Upon appeal by the prosecution, the Tokyo High Court reversed the lower court’s decision and, in December 2008, found Obara guilty of kidnapping, dismembering, and discarding Lucie’s body. Even though he was not convicted of murder, the verdict effectively held Joji Obara responsible for Lucie Blackman’s death.
Where is Joji Obara today, over two decades after these heinous crimes?
Joji Obara has been serving a life term in a Japanese jail since his conviction. While Joji Obara’s exact location is unknown, his conviction and imprisonment highlight the significance of holding perpetrators accountable for their crimes. The case of Lucie Blackman and Obara’s crimes is a painful reminder of the importance of continuing efforts to combat sexual abuse.
There was a lot of backlash against the Japanese justice system because of how they handled the case. Authorities may have overlooked Lucie’s disappearance “because she was working illegally in a job from which women often flee without notice,” as the saying goes. Therefore, it was impossible to ascertain the cause of death because the discovery of the body came too late. The three-judge panel’s decision to acquit was partly based on the absence of conclusive forensic evidence.
Missing: The Lucie Blackman Case sheds light on the cultural conflict, the struggle for justice, and the need to push for victims’ rights regardless of where they come from. Lucie’s experience serves as a reminder of the dangers that individuals confront when traveling in foreign locations and the importance of strong international collaboration in bringing criminals to justice.