Kaoru Kobayashi (小林 薫, Kobayashi Kaoru?, born 1968 in Sumiyoshi-ku, Osaka) is a former local newspaper delivery man, who kidnapped, sexually assaulted and murdered Kaede Ariyama (有山 楓, Ariyama Kaede?, 1997 - November 17, 2004), a seven year old first-grade student from the Japanese city of Nara. Kobayashi already had a record as a sexual offender at that time.