TOKYO (TR) – Prosecutors here last week announced that they are seeking a 20-year prison sentence for a 44-year-old man accused of the fatal stabbing of a 22-year-old live-streamer on a Shinjuku Ward street in March 2025.
The case reveals a dark tale of manipulation and financial ruin, reports News Post Seven (July 12).
Kenichi Takano is charged with the murder of Airi Sato, who broadcasted to fans on a smartphone app under the moniker “Ai Mogami.” Sato was reportedly live-streaming at the time of the fatal attack.
During the trial at the Tokyo District Court, the court heard how a seemingly friendly relationship between a broadcaster and her devoted listener descended into desperation after Sato allegedly bled Takano dry of his life savings.
False sense of urgency
According to court testimony, the pair first met in person in August 2022 at a cabaret club in Yamagata Prefecture where Sato worked. Takano, then living in Tochigi Prefecture, made the trip four times, dropping 770,000 yen on entertainment, gifts and travel expenses.
Shortly after their first meeting, Sato’s financial demands began. She solicited cash from Takano for various emergencies, claiming she had forgotten her bag at a day job or was forced to buy expensive champagne at the club. Hinting at the threat of violence or forced sex work, she created a false sense of urgency.
Without suspicion, Takano happily obliged. Within just three weeks, he loaned her over 1.5 million yen across 11 transactions. Between his club visits, online “tipping,” and direct payments, Takano’s entire life savings of roughly 4.5 million yen was completely wiped out.
Consumer loans
But the demands didn’t stop. In November 2022, Sato begged Takano to take out consumer loans on her behalf, claiming she needed a new apartment and sending him images suggesting she had cancer. Despite being unemployed, Takano borrowed 1 million yen from two lenders and transferred 950,000 yen to the streamer, under the promise she would repay him 30,000 yen monthly.
When loan companies contacted Takano to verify his income, he panicked over his falsified application and asked Sato for the money back.
She bluntly replied, “Eh, impossible,” and instead pressured him to borrow from a third lender. When Takano refused, citing strict lending limits, she coldly responded, “You’ve already borrowed it… Do something, you’re an adult,” before cutting off regular contact.
Line messages
In a dramatic moment during the trial, Takano’s defense attorney spent 40 minutes reading a barrage of unreturned Line messages displayed on the courtroom screen, highlighting the defendant’s growing despair as his debts loomed.
“Help me. Help me. Help me,” read a sequence of eight consecutive messages Takano sent to the unresponsive streamer. “Please, please, please. Just a little at a time is fine. I’m going to get sued. At least leave a read receipt.”
Sato transferred a meager 30,000 yen only after Takano publicly commented about the debt during one of her live streams, but she never paid another yen.
Following the financial betrayal, two years of silence and mounting psychological distress festered for Takano, ultimately culminating in the brutal March 2025 murder on the streets of Shinjuku.
The court is expected to hand down its ruling on July 15.
