Michelin 1-star restaurant owner sexually assaulted…regular customers saw “signs of the crime”.

He was the one who always greeted me when we met. He was also very amiable and ……. He didn’t look like the kind of person who would commit a criminal act like this.

On September 7, Masaya Enomoto, 46, the owner of the Japanese restaurant Enomoto in Osaka Prefecture, was arrested and charged with semi-forcible sexual intercourse after he allegedly drugged two female customers with sleeping pills and sexually assaulted them.

The defendant Enomoto gave the women, who were customers last December and February of this year, respectively, alcohol containing sleeping pills to make them unable to resist, and then committed the crimes inside the restaurant. Upon receiving a damage report from the woman, the police arrested Enomoto. By August, the Osaka District Public Prosecutors Office had charged him with two counts of quasi-forcible sexual intercourse.

In the fall of 2020, he opened his own restaurant, which he had longed for. The new restaurant soon got off the ground, and there was a two to three month waiting list for reservations. People who actually knew Enomoto were unanimous in saying that he was not the type of person who would commit a crime. Another neighborhood resident said, “I used to see a car in front of the store.

Another neighbor said, “I once went to complain about a car that used to pull up in front of his store and block the road. I went to complain, and they politely apologized and immediately moved the car out of the way. Since then, I have not seen any illegally parked cars. Before customers arrive, he stands in front of the store to welcome them, and when they leave, he comes outside to see them off. I thought he was a serious man.”

At first glance, defendant Enomoto appeared to have nothing to do with this sexual assault. However, a regular customer sensed a certain “omen” that could have led to the incident. That was defendant Enomoto’s drinking habit.

Mr. Enomoto loves to drink. There were days when he would come in around 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. and make us drink until the last train. Naturally, some customers would get drunk and collapse. There are only about six seats in the restaurant, but there is actually a small room in the back. We would put drunken customers to sleep there and take care of them. Perhaps they got a taste of it and came up with the idea of using sleeping pills, as in the case in question.

Did he come up with the idea of committing the crime while taking care of a drunken customer? The police have not revealed whether or not Enomoto has confessed to the crime. The police are still waiting to get to the bottom of the matter.