Comparative Structural Analysis of the Petit Angel Case and the Jeffrey Epstein Network: Power Asymmetry, Epistemic Vacuum, and Institutional Immunity / 【調査報告書】プチエンジェル事件とジェフリー・エプスタイン事件の比較構造分析
Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: (English)] This investigative report presents a rigorous comparative structural analysis of two high-profile minor sexual exploitation cases: the "Petit Angel" case in Tokyo, Japan (2003) and the global trafficking network operated by Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell (1990s–2019). Despite differences in geographical scale and operational duration—with Petit Angel functioning as a localized, short-term physical confinement operation and the Epstein network operating as an transnational pyramid recruitment system—both cases exhibit profound structural isomorphisms. First, both exploited the socioeconomic vulnerability of minors within closed, unmonitored spatial enclaves. Second, both generated "Kompromat" (compromising material) mechanics involving unprosecuted elite client lists, leading to institutional self-protection and selective non-prosecution (including Non-Prosecution Agreements and case closures following the death of the suspect under Article 257 of the Japanese Code of Criminal Procedure). Third, the sudden, controversial suicides of the principal perpetrators (Kotaro Yoshizato in 2003 and Jeffrey Epstein in 2019) prior to public trial created an "Epistemic Vacuum," triggering social-psychological responses explained by Compensatory Control Theory and Proportionality Bias. Fourth, institutional media silence driven by press club dependency (Kisha Club) in Japan and legal/access self-censorship in the United States was ultimately challenged by bottom-up digital public spheres and independent investigative journalism. Finally, the report identifies three shared structural pathologies in contemporary capitalist governance: (1) Power Asymmetry and the Privatization of Extrajudicial Spaces, (2) Privatization and Immunization of Judicial Procedures, and (3) Structural Vulnerability of Youth Safety Nets, concluding with institutional reform proposals including mandatory independent third-party investigations upon suspect death and statutory restrictions on non-prosecution agreements.
Author: Hasebe(長谷部), Yoko(洋子)
Language: English
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7225582351