Courtroom Gasps as Guesthouse Owner Blames Dark Shadow for Assaults

“The way he lured women one after another and preyed upon them is so repulsive, one can hardly bear to look.”

With these words, the presiding judge condemned the defendant’s crimes.

On September 24, the Okayama District Court sentenced guesthouse owner Toshiharu Takeuchi (51) of Satoshō Town to 26 years in prison for crimes including quasi-forcible sexual intercourse (the prosecution had sought 28 years). According to the verdict, from September 2018 to June 2022, Takeuchi gave alcohol laced with sleeping drugs to ten female guests and sexually assaulted them, while also secretly filming them with a hidden camera installed in the bathroom dressing area.

Repeatedly, from night until the following morning

“The Okayama Prefectural Police’s First Investigation Division first arrested defendant Takeuchi in September 2022. The following month, in October, he was rearrested for allegedly giving a woman in her 30s from Kyoto Prefecture, referred to as Ms. A, a drug with sedative effects and sexually assaulting her. Ms. A had stayed twice at Takeuchi’s guesthouse — once in July 2020 and again in August. She reportedly remembered almost nothing before going to sleep on both occasions.

There were several other victims as well. Many of the women said that even when they told him, ‘Please stop,’ they couldn’t resist strongly due to the effects of the drug. In some cases, it’s said that he assaulted semi-conscious women multiple times from night through the following morning. During police questioning, Takeuchi stated, ‘I will remain silent about whether I did it or not,’” said a reporter from a national newspaper’s social affairs section.

Takeuchi had opened his guesthouse about seven years earlier. He renovated an old house that had been vacant for nearly 20 years, located in a quiet, peaceful area. Priced at around 6,000 yen per night with two meals or about 3,000 yen without meals, the guesthouse became popular for its affordability and was frequently featured in travel magazines and websites.

“With the slogan ‘A place where even solo female travelers can stay safely,’ he posted many scenic photos on social media. From the start, it may have been a premeditated scheme targeting female solo guests,” the same reporter said.

A state in which one cannot control their actions

In previous court sessions, defendant Takeuchi repeatedly gave shocking testimonies that left the courtroom stunned:

“I committed the crimes under the orders of a black shadow that appeared to me repeatedly. I thought I would be killed if I didn’t obey.”

“I don’t remember because I took drugs and alcohol at the same time. I was in a state where I couldn’t control my actions.”

Meanwhile, the prosecution harshly criticized Takeuchi’s statements as absurd excuses.

Former Kanagawa Prefectural Police detective and crime journalist Taihei Ogawa commented:

“The defendant is making these absurd claims to suggest he lacked criminal responsibility. He’s likely trying to use his mental state or drug use as reasons to lessen his sentence. However, if the charges are accurate, it appears he opened the guesthouse with the intent of sexually assaulting women. The presence of hidden cameras and sleeping drugs indicates clear premeditation. Given the number of victims, this is an extremely malicious crime.”

Takeuchi reportedly intends to appeal the 26-year prison sentence.