Man Who Molested Women on Saikyo Line Reveals Own Sexual Victimization in Court

“Indeed, certain fetishes stayed with me in the back of my mind. As my work progressed and my life became stable, I sought some kind of stimulation, and I ended up engaging in such behavior (molestation).”

The trial of 62-year-old defendant Eiji Iwahashi, who has been charged with repeated molestation on the Saikyo Line and crimes such as non-consensual indecency, began on October 25 at the Tokyo District Court. During the trial, Iwahashi explained why he couldn’t stop engaging in molestation.

Iwahashi jumped onto the train tracks at Shinjuku Station and fled

“Defendant Iwahashi, on July 22, 2024, after being confronted for molesting Ms. A at Shinjuku Station, jumped onto the tracks and attempted to flee, but was restrained by station staff and arrested by the Shinjuku Police Station for obstruction of official duties.

During subsequent investigations, multiple incidents of molestation were uncovered. On May 27, he was re-arrested on August 12 for suspected non-consensual indecency and obstruction of official duties for touching the lower body of 18-year-old Ms. B on the Saikyo Line by putting his hand under her skirt.

Iwahashi has been repeatedly engaged in molestation since he was around 25 years old. Since 2015, he has been convicted of four similar indecency offenses. In March 2022, he was sentenced to 1 year and 4 months in prison for forcible indecency, and had just been released in May 2023.” (From a reporter in the social affairs department of a national newspaper)

At the second trial, held on December 5, the court examined the charges of non-consensual indecency against three women and violation of a nuisance prevention ordinance. According to the indictment, Ms. C’s damage was as follows.

“I’m sure it was just a bag hit.”

“On June 6, at around 8:30 a.m., the defendant touched Ms. C, a 23-year-old woman, directly on the lower half of her body by putting his hand inside her skirt and even inside her underwear. We got off at the station.

When the defendant tried to run away, the man stopped him and told him not to run away, and when he tried to hand him over to the station staff who rushed to the scene, the defendant jumped down onto the tracks and ran away. This caused an emergency stop of trains on the Saikyo Line and five other lines, and also delayed train service on each line” (from the indictment).

One week later, Ms. D was victimized.

“When Ms. D protested, the defendant replied, ‘You just hit me with your bag,’ but when Ms. D shouted at him at Shinjuku Station, ‘This man is a pervert!’ The station staff immediately ran to the station. However, the defendant jumped down onto the tracks and fled. This caused an emergency stop of trains on the Saikyo Line and seven other lines, as well as delays in train service on each line.”

Finally, Iwahashi was subdued for the aforementioned molestation of Ms. A.

Prior confirmation by perpendicular conduct

“The defendant, around 9 a.m. on July 22, touched the lower body of 20-year-old Ms. A on the Seibu Ikebukuro Line, over her clothes. Ms. A stated, ‘I am still filled with unforgivable feelings and anger, and I seek severe punishment.

The defendant, after being confronted for the groping, jumped onto the tracks and attempted to flee, but was restrained by station staff near Seibu Shinjuku Station. This caused an emergency stop of the Seibu Ikebukuro Line and five other train lines, resulting in delays to the operations of those lines.” (From the indictment)

The defendant, Iwahashi, denied the offense against Ms. C, claiming, “I put my hand under her skirt, but I only touched over her underwear, not directly on her skin,” and argued that all three incidents were violations of the Anti-Nuisance Ordinance.

During the busy morning rush hour on the Saikyo Line’s Ikebukuro Station platform, he would scout women, board the same train, and after observing their reactions with accidental contact, he would then reach under their skirts between Ikebukuro and Shinjuku stations—this was Iwahashi’s pattern of offenses.

According to the defendant, Iwahashi, accidental contact meant touching a woman’s thigh over her skirt with the back of my hand in time with the train’s movements, and observing her reaction. If the woman showed signs of discomfort, he claimed he would not go any further. However, if there was no reaction, he would continue his molestation.

When confronted for his actions, he would enter the train tracks, run towards Ikebukuro, and jump down from the Shinjuku Big Guard to escape. He was familiar with the escape routes in his mind and could jump without hesitation. During the trial, a statement from a JR East employee who failed to apprehend Iwahashi was read out by the prosecutor.

“The perpetrator escaped from the scene, but I heard from other staff members that he had repeatedly committed similar acts of molestation and fled into the train tracks. We strongly wish for severe punishment for the offender.”

“I want to do to others what was done to me.”

At the third trial held on February 12, 2025, the defendant was questioned.

In response to the defense attorney’s question, “Was there anything that led you to repeatedly commit molestation?” Iwahashi, the defendant, said, “May I talk about my childhood?” and continued.

“I was sexually victimized in that way. That memory always remained in the back of my mind, and I could never forget it.

I was curious about what it would be like to do to others what had been done to me and how they would react.”

Then, the prosecutor took over the questioning and asked, “Did you not think that you might end up in prison again when committing the crime?”

Iwahashi, the defendant, responded as follows.

“After being released, I tried various ways to restrain myself and live properly. I went to the gym and did strength training to keep my mind from focusing on molestation and relieved my urges through the sex industry.

However, the desire to commit molestation inevitably resurfaced. When I was doing it, the urge outweighed the fear of getting caught.”

Then, Iwahashi, the defendant, promised to seek medical treatment and avoid trains during commuting hours, and reflected as follows:

“I feel like I don’t have much of my life left, that I’ve reached the turning point. I can’t keep doing this forever. I want to live my life striving never to betray those around me.”

After that, the closing arguments were presented.

The prosecutor pointed out, “Regarding the charges of non-consensual indecency and violation of the nuisance prevention ordinance, the defendant had absolutely no control over himself, making these crimes nothing short of beastly. Furthermore, the risk of reoffending is extremely high. Due to the four instances of obstruction of business by force, multiple railway lines were suspended each time, and more than 50 trains were delayed. The economic impact is immeasurable.”

The prosecutor then stated, “It is necessary to confine the defendant in a correctional facility for a significant period to facilitate rehabilitation and improvement,” and requested a four-year prison sentence.

On the other hand, the defense attorney argued that in Ms. B’s case, the charge should be violation of the nuisance prevention ordinance rather than non-consensual indecency, and stated that a sentence of one year and six months in prison would be appropriate.

Then, on March 14, Judge Kana Uchiyama handed down a three-year prison sentence.

During the trial, Iwahashi, the defendant, testified about the purpose of his molestation acts:

“I gain a sense of domination by seeing the victims resist in distress. Ultimately, I believed it would be the greatest satisfaction to see the woman experience pleasure.”

How did the sexual abuse he suffered as a child connect to this desire for domination?