Details of Financial Trouble: Ai Mogami’s 500,000 Yen Loans and the Suspect in Her Murder

“I can’t live without Takano.”

“I’m happy.”

“I can’t live without Airi either.”

“For Airi.”

“Thank you always.”

“I love you.”

“Yeah, of course.”

Approximately three years and four months after this LINE exchange, the man killed the woman he had loved so much that he “couldn’t live without her,” using a survival knife.

A month has passed since Airi Sato (22), who was active under the name “Ai Mogami” on the live streaming service Fuwatchi, was murdered during a live broadcast.

“At around 9:55 AM on March 11, in the vicinity of Takadanobaba Station in Tokyo, Kenichi Takano (42) was arrested on the spot for attempted murder after allegedly stabbing Sato multiple times with a survival knife. Over 30 stab wounds were found on Sato’s upper body, with a stab wound to her neck being fatal.

There was a financial dispute between the two, and it is believed that Takano, harboring resentment, repeatedly stabbed Sato” (National newspaper social section reporter). 

The financial trouble that resulted in a court case

The financial dispute between the two refers to the period between September and November 2022, during which Kenichi Takano lent a total of 2,544,800 yen in 13 installments, but only 30,000 yen was repaid. Based on court documents, we can look back at what transpired between the two.

Takano filed a lawsuit against Sato on August 1, 2023, for claims for the return of loaned money. According to the lawsuit and other documents, Takano, who was a viewer of Fuwatchi in December 2021, became aware of Sato’s existence. After Takano made contact, they exchanged phone numbers and began communicating. Takano then visited the cabaret in Yamagata City where Sato worked and met her in person.

“I was invited by Sato, who had been in contact with me, and on August 25, 2022, I used the Shinkansen to visit her workplace for the first time as a customer. Sato, working as a hostess at the cabaret, attended to me.

After that, I continued to visit the (store name) where Sato worked as a customer, taking the Shinkansen twice in September 2022 and once in October, where I met with Sato” (from a statement on November 20, 2023).

After their face-to-face meetings, Sato began asking Takano for money.

The first time he lent the plaintiff 40,000 yen after being told that he had forgotten his wallet

The defendant, after the above-mentioned meetings with the plaintiff, told the plaintiff that they had forgotten their wallet, were short on living expenses, had run away from home and couldn’t afford to rent an apartment, and were unable to work due to poor health. They also stated that they would repay the money soon and requested a loan. (From the lawsuit filed on August 1, 2023)

The first loan was made on September 3, 2022, when Sato claimed she had forgotten her wallet at a day labor job and had no cash. Takano lent her 40,000 yen. After that, he continued lending amounts between 20,000 to 500,000 yen per loan, and the last loan, for 950,000 yen, was made between November 6 and 7, 2022.

“On November 6, Sato contacted me saying she was sick, had vomited blood, had quit her job, and wanted to start over. She asked for over 500,000 yen to pay off her debts and rent a new place to live, offering to be the guarantor. She asked me to borrow money and lend it to her. (Omitted) I borrowed 50,000 yen each from two consumer finance companies and decided to lend her 950,000 yen. On November 6, I sent her 500,000 yen and sent the remaining 450,000 yen the next day.” (From the statement)

The LINE messages at the beginning were exchanged during the time Takano was waiting for the consumer finance company’s loan approval. After transferring the money, Takano and Sato continued communicating in this manner:

“Let me know when it’s confirmed.”
“It’s done.”
“Great! Repayment might be tough, but let’s do our best.”
“Yeah!”

Three days later, on November 10, Sato contacted Takano again, asking for 500,000 yen. However, Takano refused, explaining that he had no money left and had not received any repayments so far.

This lawsuit concluded on December 19, 2023, with a judgment ordering Sato to pay 2,514,800 yen, as she failed to attend the oral argument session.

 

In his statement, Takano described his feelings as follows:

“I wanted to develop my relationship with Sato, and with the intention of helping her when she was in trouble, I lent her money whenever she asked. However, Sato only repaid 30,000 yen once, and after that, she made no further repayments. On top of that, she disappeared, and I feel as if I have been deceived by her.”

Looking at the balance in Takano’s bank account as evidence, it shows that his savings, which were around 4 million yen in April 2022, had dwindled to about 60,000 yen by December of that year.

Was the judgment effective?

Although Sato temporarily paused her streaming activities due to the financial trouble, she resumed in February 2024. Upon learning this, Takano made the following statement:

“I became overwhelmed with frustration seeing Sato continue to stream and earn money without repaying her debts.”

Despite taking the matter to court, Takano was unable to recover the money. The court ruling demanding full repayment, what kind of effect did it have? Attorney Koichiro Matsui from Atom Law Office explains:

“The ruling only grants the right to seize the debtor’s assets. Just because a judgment is made, it doesn’t mean someone will identify the assets and collect the money for you.”

What if the other party claims they have no money or assets? Matsui continues:

“In Japan, self-help, such as using violence to collect money, is not allowed. Doing so would make you the criminal instead.

Therefore, while it may sound harsh, the best approach is to not lend money to someone without repayment prospects. If you do lend, it’s essential to secure collateral, like a pledge, to minimize the risk. Of course, the borrower should also honor their repayment obligations, but lenders must be aware of the risks and act accordingly to avoid suffering consequences.”

Takano, who poured significant money into trying to win Sato’s favor, ultimately received no affection in return. The communication stopped, and he lost the money he had lent. This frustration led to his violent actions.

If he is now reflecting, it might be on the fact that he lent large sums of money recklessly or on having ulterior motives for lending money to a much younger woman in exchange for something beyond financial repayment.