KAGOSHIMA (TR) – The Kagoshima District Court has sentenced a 58-year-old man to six years and 10 months in prison for swindling three women, including his romantic partners, out of approximately 60 million yen by posing as a bank employee, reports Fuji News Network (July 15).
Hiroshi Hidaka, an unemployed man of no fixed address, was convicted of defrauding the women in a prolonged scam lasting from 2017 to 2022. During this time, he was indicted on 10 separate charges.
According to the ruling, Hidaka targeted women he was dating as well as acquaintances, putting on the guise of a career-driven banker. He manipulated the victims into handing over massive sums of cash by feeding them lies, such as, “I need to meet a deposit quota in order to get promoted.”
During the sentencing on July 15, presiding judge Mariko Koizumi condemned Hidaka’s actions. Calling his methods “clever and extremely malicious,” she handed down the 6-year, 10-month term, falling just short of the seven years sought by prosecutors.
The slight reduction in the sentence left victims unsatisfied. One of the defrauded women, who was present in the courtroom for the ruling, expressed her lingering anger to reporters following the trial.
“I feel frustrated that the sentence wasn’t exactly what the prosecution requested,” she said. “This does not mean he is forgiven.”
