Rape Drug Cases Rise on Matching Apps: Court Reveals Crimes and Mother’s Regret

The act of drugging a woman with sleeping pills and committing indecent acts.

“The crime was planned, despicable, and malicious. The physical and mental pain inflicted on the victims is immeasurable.”

The sentencing hearing for Hiroshi Kawai (45, arrested at the time), who was charged with crimes such as semi-forced indecent assault after drugging a woman he met through a matching app and committing indecent acts, was held at the Tokyo District Court on November 5. The judge handed down a sentence of 7 years and 6 months in prison, condemning Kawai with the above words.

According to the indictment, in November 2022, in a restaurant in Ginza, Tokyo, Kawai drugged the drink of a woman in her 30s while she went to the restroom, rendering her incapable of resisting, and then carried out indecent acts.

“Kawai reportedly kissed the woman on the spot. He then took her to a karaoke bar, filmed himself playing with her genitals, and later moved to a hotel where they had sex. There were three victims, and in one case, they had unprotected sex,” said a reporter from a national newspaper covering the judiciary.

The prevalence of matching apps has led to an increase in cases involving date-rape drugs.

“Sleeping pills can be easily prescribed if one claims insomnia at a hospital. Since they are quickly expelled from the body, it is difficult to find evidence, and many victims end up suffering in silence. With the rise in cases where people meet for the first time through matching apps and have a meal on the same day, such incidents are becoming more frequent,” explained a reporter from the social section of a national newspaper.