78-Year-Old Man Arrested for Alleged Abduction and Assault of High School Student

“I think I’m going to do something naughty.”

“After parking my car beside the park and having lunch, I was relaxing inside when I saw a girl walking toward me. I thought she was cute, and at the same time, I thought that if I talked to her and she agreed to get in the car, maybe I’d do something sexual with her in a secluded place.”

The 78-year-old man who sexually assaulted the high school girl, who was 15 years old at the time of the incident, stated this motive during a police interview.

“On May 14, 2025, the Soka Police Station of the Saitama Prefectural Police Department arrested Takao Okubo, 78, on suspicion of indecent assault and attempted non-consensual sexual intercourse. On May 11, around 2:00 p.m., Okubo is suspected of grabbing a 15-year-old high school girl, Ms. A, by the arm, taking her into the mini-car he was driving, and sexually assaulting her on a street in Soka City, Mr. Okubo fled.

During the subsequent investigation, it was discovered that Okubo had sexually assaulted Ms. A, including inserting his finger into her pubic area. The prosecutor charged Okubo with indecent kidnapping and non-consensual sexual intercourse.”

“Around 2 p.m. on May 11, on a street in Sōka City, the defendant said to A, ‘You’re cute. How much allowance do you get? How about I give you around 2,000 yen? Want to get in the car?’—thus luring her to get into his vehicle. After she got in, he started the car and brought her under his control. He then stopped in a secluded area and, inside the car, kissed A, licked her breasts, and inserted his fingers into her genital area.

When parting with A, the defendant said, ‘You’re cute, so I’ll give you some money,’ and handed her 2,000 yen. The case came to light after A told her mother later that day that she had received money from a man she didn’t know.”

Defendant Ōkubo partially denied the allegations, stating, “I didn’t force A into the car. And I didn’t force a kiss on her—she was the one who kissed me.” However, according to his defense attorney, the indictment did not include any statement claiming that he had forced her into the car in the first place. It is said that the defendant made the same claim at the time of his arrest, but perhaps he did not understand that he was indicted not for abduction by means of violence or threats (“ryakushū”) but for abduction by means of enticement (“yūkai”)—in this case, luring her with the offer of pocket money.

Two days after the incident, something incredible happened

During police questioning, after stating his motive as mentioned earlier, defendant Ōkubo continued his testimony as follows:

“When I saw a girl walking toward me, I said, ‘Hello, are you out for a walk?’ and she replied, ‘Yes.’ Then I asked, ‘Are you a junior high school student or a high school student?’ and she answered, ‘I’m a high school student.’ At that point, I felt that things might go the way I wanted. So I decided to keep the conversation going, get her into my car, and do something indecent with her.”

Ōkubo then reportedly pushed A lightly on the shoulder to get her into the car, drove to a secluded area, and sexually assaulted her inside the parked vehicle.

During police questioning, A spoke about the fear she felt during the assault as follows:

“This time, I was made to get into a car by a man I didn’t know, and he touched my body and kissed me. He suddenly spoke to me, and I was so terrified that I couldn’t run away or call for help. Even now, when I think about being taken away, I get scared and can’t go out alone. Please punish the man who hurt me.”

A reportedly couldn’t bring herself to tell her mother that she had been sexually assaulted because she didn’t want to worry her. She only said that she had received 2,000 yen from a stranger. Her mother cautioned her, saying, “You mustn’t accept money from strangers. If you ever meet someone suspicious, run away right away,” and that was the end of it at the time. However, two days later, an astonishing turn of events occurred.

Defendant does not admit to kissing her

Defendant Ōkubo, having spotted A walking, followed her all the way to her home. In the statement read aloud by the prosecutor, A’s mother described the shock of that moment as follows:

“On May 13, my daughter came home in a hurry after going out, so I asked her, ‘What’s wrong?’ She said, ‘The man who gave me money the other day followed me.’

I decided to return the 2,000 yen, so I went outside with my daughter and handed the money back to the man (defendant Ōkubo), saying, ‘We can’t accept this.’ The man replied, ‘Buy something you like with this money.’ When I told him, ‘No, thank you,’ he said, ‘What the hell,’ raised his voice, and drove away.”

Because the incident was so suspicious, A’s mother called the Sōka Police Station to request a patrol, and it was then that A told her about the sexual assault.

Although A stated that she had been kissed, Ōkubo claims, “I did not forcibly kiss her.” However, during police questioning, he described the kiss as follows:

“(Inside the car) I moved closer to the girl and slowly brought my lips to hers and kissed her. Then I asked, ‘Is this your first kiss?’”

While disputing whether it was a “forcible” kiss, Ōkubo has admitted to inserting his fingers into her genital area, an act considered a “sexual act” under the crime of non-consensual sexual intercourse and related offenses.

“When I tried to insert my index and middle fingers into her genital area, A said, ‘It hurts, it hurts,’ so I gave up on using both fingers. In the end, I was only able to insert my index finger up to the first joint.”

If he were trying to reduce his sentence even slightly, he could have claimed that he did not insert his fingers into her genital area and argued for a lesser charge of non-consensual indecency rather than non-consensual sexual intercourse. However, for Ōkubo, insisting that he did not forcibly kiss her seemed more important than the severity of the crime.

Ōkubo made statements so appalling that they showed no concern whatsoever for the physical and emotional burden on a body as immature as that of a 15-year-old girl.

A’s mother expressed her anger toward the defendant in her statement to the police.

“I absolutely cannot forgive the perpetrator. My daughter is extremely frightened by this incident and cannot go out alone. Someone like this offender will repeat the same behavior, so I want him to receive a severe punishment.”

Despite sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl, Ōkubo repeatedly insisted on his own version of events, claiming, “I didn’t forcibly put her in the car” and “I didn’t forcibly kiss her.” It remains to be seen what kind of sentence will be handed down after the upcoming proceedings.