TOKYO (TR) – Introducing Yohei Ono, a 39-year-old self-described polygamist.
Ono is married to 28-year-old Haruka. Together, they adopted Rin, 23, who was once in a common-law marriage with Ono.
Last week, Tokyo Metropolitan Police announced the arrest of Ono, Haruka and Rin on suspicion of conspiring to secretly film Ono having sex with a woman in her 20s in a hotel in Shinjuku Ward. They also posted the video on the internet site myfans.jp.
As the press dutifully conveyed to the public the allegations of the police, only Haruka and Rin were shown on camera. This raised the question: Where was Ono?
In fact, Ono had been taken into custody a couple weeks before, which as Shukan Bunshun (Dec. 21) reports was a bit complicated.
On November 25, police raided Ono’s apartment in Hyakunincho, Shinjuku Ward during an investigation into another case. As officers entered, Ono jumped from the third-floor apartment down to an alley near Okubo-dori.
The street is lined with Korean restaurants and pop-up shops. After striking the pavement — 50 meters below the unit — he suffered a broken lumbar vertebrae. He was then taken into custody.
Smartphones, tablet, laptops and hard drives
During the investigation, police found more than 860 tosatsu (voyeur) video files featuring over 100 different women on 37 smartphones, one tablet, three laptops and three hard drives found in the apartment.
“All of the files were secretly filmed videos of Ono having sex with women,” a social affairs reporter tells Bunshun. “Ono himself stated uploading these videos earned nearly 2 million yen a month. Police estimate that, based on simple calculations, he earned nearly 50 million yen over a two-year period.”
The same reporter goes on to explain how the trio carried out the crimes.
“Haruka and Rin installed a hidden camera in the ceiling of a love hotel. It resembled the exterior of a fire alarm,” the reporter says. “After Ono had sex with a woman he met on X who was looking for a sugar daddy, Haruka and Rin would barge into the room. One of them would say, ‘What are you doing to my husband?’ They would then demand compensation. In fact, the victim in the case in question actually paid over 1 million yen.”
As a result, .police accused the three suspects of violating the Law Banning the Taking of Sexually Explicit Photographs. Ono reportedly admitted to the charges. However, Haruka and Rin have chosen to remain silent.
“Penguin” and “rabbit”
Prior to his apprehension, Ono and his accomplices had been moving from place to place. He rented the 40-square-meter apartment in Shinjuku in October.
When police entered, they were searching for evidence connecting Ono to the confinement of a teenage girl.
“Ono also met the teenage victim through X,” the same reporter says. “At first, they would go out together and he would appear kind, but his behavior gradually became more violent and violent. He took away her ID and smartphone and confined her, calling her a ‘dog’ and putting a collar on her. He called Haruka a ‘penguin’ and Rin a ‘rabbit’ and had them watch over her.”
A stun gun, handcuffs, a collar and a rope were also found in the room. Ono gave the teenage victim a reset iPhone with a GPS app installed. He then threatened her, “If you run away, I’ll take revenge on you. I know your address and your family. I’ll tell your parents that you work in the sex industry.”
The series of incidents came to light when the woman took the opportunity to escape and run to a police station in Osaka Prefecture.
Ono stated during questioning, “I intended to have four wives and have each of them have children so I could make a living.”
“Police believe Haruka and Rin were both held captive and brainwashed by Ono in the same way,” the reporter says.
Ono’s mother
Ono’s mother, aged in her 60s, lives in Shinjuku and commuted to her son’s apartment to do housework.
Bunshun visited the mother’s residence, which is a shared dormitory. Located within walking distance of Ono’s apartment, the nearly 60-year-old building is packed with restaurants run by foreigners and massage parlors.
“I’d like to ask you about your son’s case,” a reporter for the magazine asked after reaching the mother on the intercom.
“Oh, I can’t really say anything,” she said.
The reporter then asked about her doing housework at Ono’s apartment.
“Oh. Sorry, I’m currently consulting with a lawyer about that,” she said.
When asked how Ono could be living in an apartment while she is staying in a shared residence, she said, “I’ll have to talk to you about some other time, too. Anyway, I can’t answer that question. Excuse me.”
With that, the mother hung up.
