Emotional Trauma Exposed in Sexual Misconduct Trial of Director Hideo Sakaki
The victimized woman became overwhelmed with emotion and was unable to testify
Film director Hideo Sakaki (55), accused of quasi-rape for allegedly committing indecent acts against actresses by exploiting his position as a film director, appeared in court at the Tokyo District Court on October 7.
Sakaki is accused of committing indecent acts against Actress A, who was in her twenties, in 2016. On March 19, 2015, he allegedly invited Actress B to an apartment room under the pretext of offering acting guidance and then sexually assaulted her. In 2016, he invited Actress C to dinner, instructed her to take off your underwear, and later took her to a hotel where he had sexual intercourse with her.
A trial regarding the quasi-rape charge involving Actress A was held in October last year. For more details on that hearing, refer to the FRIDAY Digital article published on October 21, 2024:
Another trial, concerning the quasi-rape charge involving Actress C, was held this February. That hearing was also covered by FRIDAY Digital on March 3, 2025:
In the latest trial, testimony was heard from Actress B, who spoke about the events leading up to the assault and her current emotional state.
According to the indictment, in 2015, Sakaki sexually assaulted B in an apartment he used as an office, after telling her he would provide acting lessons. B had been cast in a pink film (softcore erotic film) directed by Sakaki, which included a masturbation scene. Sakaki allegedly instructed her to rehearse the act, during which he sexually assaulted her.
While Sakaki admits to having had a physical relationship with B, he denies abusing his position as a director or that B was in a state of incapacity to resist—physically or psychologically—claiming instead that it was “a consensual relationship between a man and a woman.”
“The latest hearing continued from the previous witness questioning held in April. B testified remotely from a separate room, tearfully recounting the abuse she suffered from Sakaki. However, as she began to describe the details of the assault, she became overwhelmed with emotion and was unable to continue testifying. Her condition did not improve, and the session was adjourned,” said a national newspaper reporter covering judicial affairs.
“Why would you tell such a lie?”
In the April hearing, testimony was given about how Sakaki and Actress B first met.
B had attended a workshop taught by Sakaki. Afterward, she received an email from the organizer saying that Sakaki was looking for cast members for a film. She applied and was interviewed by Sakaki at his apartment on March 11, 2015. Although she wasn’t chosen for the lead role, she was offered another part and confirmed to appear in the film.
On March 19, B visited the apartment again for a costume fitting. When it ended and she was about to leave, Sakaki stopped her. Earlier, there had been several staff members present, but by that time, only the two of them remained. Sakaki then played a video on his computer showing a person masturbating and told her:
“Try doing it like this.”
He asked her to rehearse the scene. B testified,
“I felt resistance, but since I had already accepted the role, I thought I had no choice but to do it.”
As she began acting, she heard the metallic sound of a belt being unbuckled — and Sakaki suddenly penetrated her. She gave a vivid account of the assault. While describing the details of what happened afterward, B began sobbing uncontrollably, and the session had to be adjourned.
In the hearing resumed that day, B once again recounted the assault and her emotional state at the time. Sakaki appeared in court wearing a gray suit, his hair neatly styled with product. He quickly took his seat and, as in previous sessions, immediately closed his eyes.
B testified remotely from a separate room. When the prosecutor questioned her about Sakaki’s statement that,
“During the rehearsal, we touched each other’s genitals and wanted to have sex,”
B’s voice trembled with anger as she said,
“I’m shocked — why would he tell such a lie?”
She also firmly denied having given consent for Sakaki to record the act, stating,
“I never agreed to be filmed.”
When Sakaki’s defense attorney asked about the video, saying that there were no words from B in the footage telling him to stop, B responded,
“I was naked and completely defenseless. I couldn’t run away. I was terrified of what might happen if I resisted — that he might hit me, or even kill me.”
She also revealed the inner conflict she felt as an actress, saying,
“I was afraid that if I refused, I might be dropped from the role.”
“That was sexual assault.”
Out of a sense of responsibility after accepting the role, Actress B appeared in the film. She later accepted another offer and appeared in a different work directed by Sakaki. When the defense attorney asked her, “Did you intend to get work through a sexual relationship?” she firmly denied the accusation of trading sex for roles, saying:
“Any job I got through a sexual relationship would have no value to me. I accepted the offer because I believed my acting was being recognized.”
During that time, Sakaki invited her out for meals, but B said she made sure never to be alone with him. Regarding the assault, she recalled:
“I couldn’t understand what had happened to me. I tried not to think about it.”
She had locked away the memory. But when she saw the 2022 Shūkan Bunshun Online report exposing Sakaki’s sexual misconduct, she said:
“When I saw the news online, I realized—that was sexual assault.”
The turning point came when police contacted her about an SD card seized from Sakaki’s home, asking, “Is this you?” B said:
“I finally spoke about what I had kept buried in my heart all this time, without telling anyone.”
She officially reported the assault in 2022, seven years after it had occurred.
During B’s testimony, Sakaki sat with his eyes closed, occasionally furrowing his brow or cracking his neck, but his emotions were unreadable. Through tears, B continued her statement and concluded:
“I don’t even know why I’m crying so much. More than the incident itself, what hurts me most is being treated like someone it was acceptable to harm.”
Sakaki’s crime—inflicting such deep wounds on a woman’s dignity for the sake of his own desire—can only be described as gravely serious.
PHOTO： Shinji Hasuo
