“Hurting Both Was Killing Two Birds with One Stone” — Man Who Threatened Renhō Reveals Selfish Motive in Court

In reference to the incident involving former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe

Former House of Councillors member Renhō, who ran in the 2024 Tokyo gubernatorial election, was the target of a threat letter sent to her campaign office in June 2024. Yasuhiro Ōura (52 at the time of arrest) has been charged with attempted extortion and other crimes. His trial was held on June 11 at the Tokyo District Court (Presiding Judge: Takashi Katō).

According to the indictment, Ōura impersonated an acquaintance, referred to as Mr. A, and sent a threatening letter to Renhō’s office stating:

“There might be something reminiscent of Prime Minister Abe’s case,”

—thus, referencing the shooting incident involving former Prime Minister Shinzō Abe—

and wrote,

“I have evidence of a Public Offices Election Act violation. Send 1 million yen.”

Ōura is accused of attempting to extort money through this threat.

During interrogation, Ōura stated that his motive stemmed from resentment over being involuntarily transferred during the Democratic Party of Japan’s 2009 administrative review.

Following his arrest, two additional charges came to light. In 2022, he sent a letter and a box cutter blade to former Reconstruction Minister Kenya Akiba that read:

“I know your secret. Don’t think this is the end.”

He was rearrested for this. Furthermore, Ōura was additionally indicted for forging a private seal and using it to impersonate Mr. A by sending a New Year’s card to A’s employer stating, “The salary is too low.” Mr. A, whose name was misused in the letter to Renhō, reported the matter during the investigation.

Ōura appeared in court wearing a black T-shirt and black sweatpants, with a shaved head and glasses. He was indicted for three cases and admitted to the charges, saying, “There’s no mistake.”

It was revealed during the trial that Mr. A was actually the starting point for the series of threatening incidents.

As it turned out during the trial, Mr. A was actually the catalyst for the series of threats.

The testimony of the defendant’s wife was

“Around 2014, the defendant Ōura was treated as a pervert by Mr. A, a neighbor, which led to a police report and a dispute between neighbors. Fueled by anger, Ōura used Mr. A’s name maliciously as the sender when sending the threat letter to Renhō. During the investigation, Ōura testified that he thought if I make them feel uneasy, (Mr. A) would move away. It seems he intended this as revenge against both Mr. A, whom he resented, and Renhō,” said a social affairs reporter from a national newspaper.

On that day, witness and defendant testimonies were held, and Ōura’s wife took the stand as a witness. She spoke with a weary expression, saying,

“I still don’t understand why he did such a thing.”

When the defense lawyer asked if he usually had grievances against politicians, she acknowledged,

“There were times when the policy review affected his work, and it seemed like he might lose everything.”

However, she also said,

“He sometimes praised Renhō’s policies, so honestly, I don’t really know.”

Asked about her husband’s personality, she described him as

“Self-righteous and not listening to others. His thoughts are biased, and he lacks understanding of people’s feelings.”

She expressed a desire for him to receive counseling going forward. Then, tearfully she appealed,

“I can’t forgive someone who degrades others just to satisfy their own desires.”

Throughout her testimony, Ōura kept a blank expression, staring into space.

“I wanted to make both suffer.”

The defendant was then questioned. Regarding the threat letter to Renhō instructing the use of a Letter Pack to send 1 million yen, he stated that he never intended to actually receive the money.

About instructing the use of a Letter Pack, which forbids sending cash, he explained:

“Because it’s warned on the Letter Pack that sending cash is fraud, I thought Renhō’s side would hesitate to enclose cash. Also, the Letter Pack has tracking functions, so the recipient (Mr. A) could refuse to accept it.”

He said he took care to ensure no actual cash exchange would occur. Regarding sending the threat letter using Mr. A’s name without permission, he calmly said:

“I thought I could make both suffer, killing two birds with one stone.”

His self-righteous personality, as testified by his wife, was evident. He also said:

“I was angry at politicians, but my anger at the neighbor was even greater.”

It became clear that his deep-seated grudge from a neighbor dispute ten years ago was at the root. Throughout the trial, defendant Ōura repeatedly apologized, saying he acted very thoughtlessly.

On February 11, during detention, he referenced a statement by the emperor about the importance of empathy between those who send and receive messages, saying:

“I committed a shameful act I cannot face the emperor with. I vow to rehabilitate myself before His Majesty.”

The prosecution demanded a two-year prison sentence, stating that the crime was selfish and the damage severe. The verdict will be delivered on June 20.