FUKUOKA (TR) – The Fukuoka District Court on Tuesday handed a 66-year-old man a 30-year prison term for repeatedly intimidating six female employees at the pet shop he ran before raping them, reports the Yomiuri Shimbun (Feb. 25).
Presiding judge Hiroto Imaizumi handed down the prison term to Michio Honda, a resident of Itoshima City, for quasi-forced sexual intercourse and other crimes carried out repeatedly over a five-year period ending in 2022.
According to the ruling, Honda repeatedly lied to the six female employees — at the time, aged in their 20s and 30s — at his home and other locations, misleading them into believing that he was connected to a yakuza criminal organization.
He also held a Japanese sword to their necks and threatened to kill them if they betrayed him before sexually assaulting them and committing indecent acts. One victim suffered an undisclosed injury.
“In order to satisfy his own desires, Honda controlled and subjugated many employees through fear,” judge Imaizumi said in the courtroom. “He repeatedly engaged in sexual acts and intimidation, which are uniquely heinous to an unprecedented degree.”
He also pointed out, “Considering that Honda has only used unreasonable excuses and has shown no signs of remorse, a sentence below the maximum of 30 years in prison is not appropriate.”
“I did not commit any acts of intimidation”
The prosecution had sought a 30-year term. Meanwhile, the defense argued that Honda was “innocent.”
Honda denied the allegations during the trial. “I did not commit any acts of intimidation,” he said.
The defense argued, “The victims were in an intimate relationship with the defendant. They were also not in a position where they could not resist.”
But presiding judge Imaizumi dismissed the latter claim. “They were unable to refuse due to the intense fear of being pointed at with a Japanese sword,” the judge said.
During the trial, one victim, aged in her 30s, cited the difficulty of seeking counseling for sexual assault as the reason for why the sexual abuse had continued for so many years. In her statement, the woman said, “It is difficult to talk about sexual assault with friends, partners or family. I think it would be good if there were more environments where people could seek counseling when they are sexually assaulted.”
Before handing down the sentence, judge Imaizumi asked Honda, “Is there anything you’d like to say?” Honda responded, “I never made her unable to resist or intimidated her. I also don’t remember being accused of anything.”
Victims not at fault
Hiromi Nakano is the director of the nonprofit organization Shiawase Namida in Tokyo. She works to raise awareness of the elimination of sexual violence.
“It is not the victims who cannot seek counseling who are at fault, but the perpetrators,” she told the Yomiuri. “If you are a victim, please seek counseling at one-stop support centers [for victims of sexual violence] from within your local government.”
