A Kyodo News male reporter in his 20s has been reprimanded after he appeared to kick the wall of a home belonging to a resident who refused to be interviewed regarding the murder of a 9-year-old Vietnamese girl in Chiba Prefecture. The incident occurred on April 15, when the reporter was visiting the neighborhood in Matsudo City where the victim lived..

A home security camera recorded footage of the incident, and the owner posted it on Twitter, which prompted Kyodo News to launch an internal investigation, local media reported. The reporter has admitted to the act.

The reporter and his boss apologized to Matsudo residents on Monday. The Kyodo News General Affairs Bureau said in a statement: “It is an unforgivable act, and we deeply apologize to those burdened by the inconvenience. We promise to strictly instruct him as well as thoroughly educate our company’s reporters.”

Le Thi Nhat Linh is believed to have been abducted shortly after leaving home for school on the morning of March 24.

Police last Friday arrested Yasumasa Shibuya, the 46-year-old head of the parents' association at the victim's elementary school in Matsudo, on suspicion of abandoning the third-grader's body. Shibuya has so far remained silent during questioning, according to the police.

© Japan Today