Taxi Driver Allegedly Robs and Sexually Assaults Woman in Her 20s During Home Invasion

The man showed a knife he was carrying and threatened the woman, saying:

“Don’t make a sound! Do you have any money?”

He is said to have robbed the woman of cash and then sexually assaulted her in a closed room.

“The victim was Ms. A, a woman in her 20s living in Adachi Ward. According to the police, on April 2 around 4 a.m., the suspect Fukuda broke into Ms. A’s apartment on the third floor. He reportedly smashed the window glass of the balcony with a hammer, unlocked the door, and entered.

Fukuda is said to have threatened Ms. A, who was sleeping in bed, by saying ‘Don’t make a sound!’ and robbed her of 20,000 yen in cash. His alleged crimes did not end there. Fukuda then sexually assaulted Ms. A and even forced her to go to a nearby convenience store, where he made her withdraw 50,000 yen from an ATM and stole it. The two reportedly had no prior acquaintance,” said a reporter from a national newspaper’s social affairs section.

“I thought that if I assaulted her, she wouldn’t report it.”

The victim, Ms. A, consulted with her family and reported the incident to the police. Based on security camera footage and other evidence, Fukuda emerged as the suspect. According to the police, Fukuda made the following statement during his questioning:

“I was in financial trouble because I had borrowed money from a friend. I thought that if I assaulted her, she wouldn’t report it to the police.”

On April 5, our photographer captured Fukuda being transported for his arrest. He slumped his shoulders and boarded the police vehicle with his head bowed.

Crime journalist and former Kanagawa Prefecture police detective, Taihei Ogawa, explained:

“He specifically targeted a woman living on the third floor, not the first. Even though he had no prior acquaintance with her, the suspect likely knew that young women lived in the apartment from his work as a taxi driver. He brought tools like a hammer and knife and planned the assault in a way that would prevent the police from being called. After robbing her of cash and injuring her, this was an extremely malicious crime.

Women living alone in apartments or condominiums should not feel safe just because they live above the third floor. In addition to locking doors and windows, I believe further measures, such as installing security films to strengthen window durability, are necessary.”

The police continue to investigate Fukuda’s motives and the details of the crime.