FUKUOKA (TR) – The Fukuoka District Court last month handed a suspended sentence to a 24-year-old former company employee accused of violently sexually assaulting and injuring a woman at a commercial facility in Fukuoka City’s bustling Tenjin district, reports RKB Mainichi Broadcasting (Sep. 1).
On August 6, presiding judge Yoshifumi Mori sentenced Shoichi Inoue to three years in prison, suspended for five years with probationary supervision. Prosecutors had sought a four-year prison term.
Early on the morning of December 4, 2025, Inoue spotted a woman in her 20s walking alone on the street and repeatedly propositioned her, saying, “Let’s go to a hotel.” When she ignored his advances, he shoved her onto the up-escalator of a nearby commercial facility, causing her to fall.
Upon reaching the second-floor landing, Inoue pushed the victim down, choked her by the neck, and rendered her unable to resist. He then forcibly kissed her on the lips and groped her buttocks. The woman sustained minor injuries to her neck and legs.
Psychological trauma
During the trial, prosecutors condemned the unprovoked attack as “relentless, despicable, and malicious,” completely ignoring the victim’s dignity. They highlighted her severe psychological trauma, noting she now suffers from insomnia, loss of appetite, and a debilitating fear of leaving her home or having anyone walk behind her.
Judge Mori sharply criticized the defendant’s actions, emphasizing the physical danger of the assault. “Pushing someone onto an escalator, where clothing can become caught and cause serious injury, is highly dangerous, as is choking the victim by the neck,” the judge said. He dismissed Inoue’s motive of fulfilling selfish sexual desires as “short-sighted” and leaving “no room for leniency.”
Rehabilitation program
However, the court ultimately opted against sending Inoue to prison.
In handing down the suspended sentence, judge Mori cited several mitigating factors: the attack was not premeditated, the physical injuries were relatively minor, and the nature of the indecent assault did not reach the absolute worst category for similar cases.
The judge also noted that Inoue had admitted to the charges, paid the victim 1 million yen in partial compensation, had no prior criminal record, and is enrolled in a rehabilitation program under his parents’ strict supervision.
