TOKYO (TR) – A doctor and medical intern in custody for allegedly drugging and raping several women earlier this year have been accused in yet another case, police revealed on Thursday, reports the Sankei Shimbun (June 20).
According to police, the incident took place between the night of April 21 and the following morning. At a karaoke parlor near JR Ebisu Station, Masataka Kaneko, a 29-year-old doctor at Showa University Hospital, and Hisaaki Obayashi, a 26-year-old intern at a hospital affiliated with Showa University Hospital, allegedly forced two women to drink large amounts of vodka and sparkling wine.
Thereafter, Kaneko and Obayashi separated, with each bringing one of the women home. Each suspect is then alleged to have sexually assaulted one of the victims while she was passed out. The suspects then switched residences, with each allegedly sexually assaulting a second victim, police said.
Kaneko, who has been accused of quasi-coerced intercourse, has declined to comment on the allegations. Meanwhile, Obayashi told police, “I thought it was consensual.”
In February and March, police first arrested Kaneko and Obayashi over the alleged drugging and rape and attempted rape of two other women in January. In May, Kaneko was further accused of forcing another woman to drink large amounts of alcohol before sexually assaulting her last December.
In the cases from January, traces of a sleep-inducing drug were detected in the systems of both women. The same medication was discovered in the residence of Kaneko in Shinagawa Ward during a search, police said previously.
