OKAYAMA (TR) – A court here last month convicted a 51-year-old man for drugging and sexually assaulting nine female guests and other guests at the guesthouse he ran in the town of Satosho over a four-year period, reports TBS News (Oct. 18).
On September 24, the Okayama District Court handed the unnamed man a prison sentence of 26 years. The prosecution had sought a 28-year term.
He was charged with four crimes: quasi-forcible intercourse, quasi-forcible indecency, attempted quasi-forcible indecency and violating the Okayama Prefecture Nuisance Prevention Ordinance.
Between 2018 and 2022, the man sexually assaulted and molested nine women — including guests at the guesthouse — by mixing drugs with sleep-inducing properties into cocktails and other items, rendering them unable to resist his advances, the verdict said. He also secretly filmed one female guest.
“Black shadow”
Dating back to his first trial in 2024, he consistently maintained his innocence. The issue of criminal responsibility was the main point of contention.
At his trial on June 3, the man stated, “I was being threatened and ordered around by a ‘black shadow’ at the time. I thought I would be killed if I didn’t obey. I have no memory of the crimes. I was in a state of insanity at the time of the crimes.”
The prosecution stated, “He used the guesthouse as a trap to satisfy his sexual desires. This was an unprecedented, extremely despicable and heinous crime.” It added that he showed “a fundamental lack of any sense of morality.” It concluded that he showed no signs of remorse and there is a high risk he will reoffend.
The defense argued, “At the time, due to the influence of mental illness, he was unable to distinguish between right and wrong and was unable to control his actions.”
“Rendering them unable to resist”
At the sentencing hearing held on September 24, the man entered the courtroom wearing a two-tone gray and black top, a gray tracksuit and a mask. After taking his seat in front of his lawyer, the man looked around the gallery with a blank expression, then looked straight ahead.
Presiding judge Akihiro Motomura stated, “[The defendant] secretly gave the victims drugs with sleep-inducing effects, rendering them unable to resist, before engaging in sexual acts with them. He also filmed the acts and saved the [footage] in folders named after the victims, acting in an extremely rational manner to achieve his goals.”
Regarding the “black shadow” claim, Motomura said, “There is no evidence of any abnormal factors, such as hallucinations or delusions, being involved.”
The court also found that the man’s claim of mental illness was conveniently used to justify the crimes, and found no doubt that he had a mental illness at the time of the crimes. It found the man fully responsible for his actions.
“This was an extremely heinous crime that disregarded the dignity of the victims,” Motomura said, “It could even be considered that the guesthouse, where the crimes were committed repeatedly shortly after it opened, was a stage set prepared by the defendant for his crimes.
“The way he lured women looking to enjoy solo travel one after another and then felled them into his clutches is so horrifying that it makes one want to look away.
“Turned into a nightmare”
Motomura also spoke about the women who were victimized. He said, “The victims’ happy memories have turned into a nightmare they no longer want to recall since the investigative authorities informed them of the facts, and the mental anguish they have endured is immense.
“They have been subjected to unnecessary heartache, such as being criticized for even staying at a guesthouse and regretting their choice of accommodation.
“What would have been a very fond memory had they not been victimized has now turned into a bitter one. No matter how much time passes, this incident cannot be undone. It is only natural that they all call for severe punishment for the defendants.”
Furthermore, regarding the man’s habitual and heinous crimes, Motomura stated, “[The defendant] shows not the slightest sense of responsibility for this type of crime. Even taking into account that he has no criminal record, his selfish attitude, following only his own desires and treating his victims as convenient objects, deserves extremely severe condemnation.
“He consistently offered absurd excuses, such as claiming that he was ordered to commit the series of crimes by a hallucination of a dark shadow. He has shown no remorse or even faced up to his responsibility. Considering that this attitude continues to hurt the victims’ feelings, there is no reason to reduce the sentence in the general circumstances.”
The man’s expression remained unchanged after receiving the sentence, but when the appeal option was explained to him, he nodded slightly and silently left the courtroom.
The man, dissatisfied with the verdict, filed an appeal on September 25.
