Netflix’s newest true crime documentary, Missing: The Lucie Blackman Case, details the disturbing story of a 21-year-old woman who disappeared in Tokyo and was never seen again. As the documentary explains, Lucie Blackman, a former flight attendant with British Airways, decided to take a gap year in 2000, moving from the United Kingdom to Tokyo with a friend, Louise Phillips, where the two planned to live and work in the city.
But less than a month after her move, Lucie went missing—and it took seven months before her body was found. The documentary explores the events surrounding her disappearance, and includes interviews with Japanese detectives who worked on the case and Lucie’s father, Tim Blackman.
The documentary also talks a lot about a man named Joji Obara, who would eventually be arrested and charged in connection with Lucie’s disappearance. Obara’s connection to the case is complicated, and it’s understandable to have questions. Here’s what you need to know:
Who is Joji Obara?
Joji Obara was a millionaire real estate developer in Tokyo before facing a life sentence in prison for crimes including rape and manslaughter, according to The Wall Street Journal. Obara was born in Osaka, Japan, in 1952, but later moved to Tokyo, per The Sun.
Obara attended private schools and graduated from Keio University with degrees in politics and law, The Sun says. He flipped properties for profit and was described as a “playboy millionaire” before Lucie’s death.
Lucie went missing after their date.
After moving to Tokyo, Lucie took a job as a hostess at a high-end club called Casablanca, the documentary explains. She went on a date with a client, Obara, less than a month after she arrived in Tokyo and was never heard from again.
However, her roommate Louise got a call the day after Lucie’s date from someone who said that she had joined a cult, The Independent reports. Louise reached out to Lucie’s family, who flew to Tokyo to try to figure out where their daughter was.
Lucie’s body was found near his home.
For seven months, Lucie’s family and detectives worked to try and figure out what happened to her. Then, on February 9, 2001, authorities found Lucie’s dismembered body in a seafront cave a few yards away from Obara’s home, The Mirror reports.
Lucie had been cut into eight pieces and her head was encased in concrete.
Police officers get out of a cave carrying a sheet-covered woman’s body in Misaki city, 2001.
He was sentenced to life in prison for other crimes.
Two months after Lucie’s body was located, police arrested Obara and charged him with Lucie’s abduction, rape, and the disposal of her body. At the time, he was also charged with the death of an Australian woman, Carita Ridgeway, back in 1992, and eight other rapes.
Searches of Obara’s condo had found thousands of handmade videos of himself assaulting hundreds of women, per the WSJ. He was ultimately tried for raping and drugging nine women, in addition to Lucie, between 1992 and 2000.
In April 2007, the Tokyo District Court sentenced Obara to life in prison for the rape charges relating to the other women, and manslaughter in the Ridgeway case, the WSJ says. However, Obara was found not guilty on all charges related to Lucie, with the judge saying that the court could not determine that Obara had raped her as long as the cause of Lucie’s death was unknown.
He was never charged with her murder.
Lucie’s body was badly decomposed when it was found, making it difficult to find reliable evidence as to what happened to her, The Mirror says.
Lucie’s family appealed the judge’s decision, and in 2008, Obara was found guilty of the abduction, dismemberment and disposal of Lucie’s body. The court couldn’t find enough evidence to convict Obara of her murder, according to The Independent.
What was his net worth?
Online estimates put Obara’s net worth around $38 million, but it’s difficult to say for sure what his total income is. The WSJ also points out that Obara lost his real estate firm in a recession during the 90s.
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Where is he now?
Obara is currently serving a life sentence in prison, according to The Japan Times. He initially appealed his sentencing to the Supreme Court of Japan, which was rejected in December 2010, per The Sun.
Korin Miller is a freelance writer specializing in general wellness, sexual health and relationships, and lifestyle trends, with work appearing in Men’s Health, Women’s Health, Self, Glamour, and more. She has a master’s degree from American University, lives by the beach, and hopes to own a teacup pig and taco truck one day.
