“I Was Horrified”, The Disturbing Case That Shook Tsuda University’s All-Female Campus

He poured bodily fluids on a female student’s shorts

At 8 a.m. on October 8, a small, pale man who appeared quiet and mild-mannered was escorted by police officers for his transfer to the prosecutor’s office. His hair was slightly disheveled from being held in detention, but it was neatly parted to the side, giving the impression of a serious office worker. However, his eyes were vacant, staring blankly into space.

On October 7, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department’s Public Morals Division announced the arrest of Yusuke Tanabe (43), a resident of Koto Ward, Tokyo, on suspicion of property damage. At the time, Tanabe was an employee at Tsuda University’s Kodaira Campus, where he allegedly took a female student’s clothing from a locker and soiled it with bodily fluids.

“Tanabe, who had been employed at the university from 2009 until this summer, is suspected of repeatedly removing female students’ gym shorts from lockers in the campus hallway between around November 2024 and July this year. He would soil them with his bodily fluids and then photograph the act, posting the images on an online forum.

The posts suggested that he had used the shorts for masturbation. Tanabe admitted to the charges, saying, ‘I have a fetish for women’s clothing and couldn’t suppress my urges.’ The images he uploaded reportedly showed both his genital area and the soiled shorts. The police are also investigating him on suspicion of public display of obscene electromagnetic records,” said a reporter from a social affairs desk.

Tanabe is said to have posted the images on an internet forum thread titled “School staff who masturbate over students.” It is a place where individuals who sexually objectify students anonymously discuss their fetishes, filled with grotesque and unprintable comments.

Some images appearing to feature junior high and high school girls were also posted there. When an image showing someone pouring bodily fluids on a student’s shorts appeared, the university contacted the police, which led to Tanabe’s arrest.

How did students and university staff feel about the incident? When several students at the Kodaira Campus were interviewed, a number of them were unaware that the incident had even occurred.

On October 7, the university released an official statement on its website titled “Regarding the Arrest of a Former Employee.”

“Although our university has regularly conducted training sessions on legal compliance and staff ethics, in light of this incident, we will strengthen our institution-wide efforts to ensure a safe learning environment.”

However, it appears that no direct notification or guidance was issued to individual students. Once informed about the case, many students expressed fear, saying things like “That’s terrifying” and “I hope they tighten security.”

There are quite a few students who feel uncomfortable around men

A university staff member who was aware of the incident spoke as follows:

“I’ve been connected to Tsuda University for many years, including during my own student days, but I’ve never heard of anything like this happening—not even as a rumor. It’s been quite a topic among those affiliated with the university. The suspect was probably someone who worked in administrative duties.

Looking at the photo in the news, I feel like I’ve seen him on campus before. I don’t know if he interacted directly with students, but there are so few male staff members at Tsuda that if someone were acting strangely, word would spread immediately. I never heard any rumors like that.

I’m not sure which lockers were targeted, but students pay to rent lockers at the university on a yearly basis. If incidents like this can happen, it’s unsettling to think about leaving belongings there. It must be especially difficult for first- and second-year students, since they still have physical education classes.”

As mentioned earlier, the university released an official statement on the 7th addressing the investigation and its commitment to safety, but this staff member expressed dissatisfaction with the university’s response to students.

“The university has issued a public statement, but it’s unclear whether they’re providing psychological support for the affected students. They might be quietly responding to those whose cases are confirmed, but there are probably students who were victimized and are too afraid to come forward. I think it would reassure students if the university clearly announced that mental health support is available.

There are students who chose to attend a women’s university precisely because they’re uncomfortable around men. For them, this incident must have been extremely shocking.”

In June, it was revealed that a group of around ten elementary and junior high school teachers across Japan had shared voyeuristic photos of female students in a group chat—just one of many sexual misconduct cases continuing to surface in educational settings. It raises the troubling question: are schools still truly safe places to learn?

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