78-Year-Old Defendant Shows Little Remorse in High School Girl Assault Case

Two days after the incident, he reportedly followed the victim

“I thought I could satisfy my sexual desire if I gave her money.”

This is how the 78-year-old man, accused of enticing a 15-year-old high school girl into his car and sexually assaulting her, described his motive.

On May 14, 2025, the Soka Police Station in Saitama Prefecture arrested Takao Okubo (78) on suspicion of abduction for indecent purposes and attempted non-consensual intercourse. Okubo is alleged to have grabbed the arm of high school student A (15 at the time) on a street in Soka City around 2 p.m. on May 11 and forced her into his kei car, attempting to sexually assault her.

Two days later, on May 13, Okubo happened to spot A again and followed her by car, appearing in front of her home. A’s mother called 110, leading to the discovery of the incident.

Subsequent investigation revealed that Okubo had indeed attempted sexual assault. It also became clear that he had lured A into his car not through physical force but by tempting her with phrases such as, “I’ll give you pocket money.” The prosecution charged him with non-consensual intercourse and indecent abduction.

At the second hearing of Okubo’s trial at Saitama District Court on October 7, he was questioned as a defendant. Until then, he had admitted to committing sexual assault on A but partially denied some acts, claiming, for example, that she initiated the kiss.

Answering his lawyer’s questions about the day of the incident, Okubo said:

“When I had stopped my car to rest, the victim (A) was walking toward me. I thought she was cute and said, ‘Hello.’ She replied, ‘Hello.’ Then I asked, ‘How much pocket money do you get? If it’s 2,000–3,000 yen, I’ll give it to you. Want to get in the car?’ She said yes and got into the back seat.

I drove to a secluded place and moved her to the back seat, where I touched her body. She did not seem scared. Later, when she said she wanted to go home, I gave her 2,000 yen.”

When asked by his lawyer why he did this, he replied as above, adding that he had acted out of male sexual desire.

The presiding judge harshly questioning defendant Okubo

During police and prosecution questioning, A testified as follows:

“While I was walking, a man I didn’t know suddenly spoke to me. I was so scared that I couldn’t run away or even call out loudly. He put his hand on my shoulder and told me to get into his car.”

She also said, “Even now, when I think about being taken away, I’m too scared to go out alone. Please make the man who hurt me face punishment,” describing the emotional trauma caused by the incident.

Next, the prosecutor asked, “Regarding the charges, except for the matter of the kiss, you have no particular defense or explanation, correct?” Okubo admitted, “Yes.”

Finally, presiding Judge Masahito Murohashi asked, “A said during questioning that she was mentally hurt. How do you think she was hurt?”

“I don’t really know that much,” Okubo replied.

Judge Murohashi raised his voice and pressed further: “Try to imagine. How was A hurt?”

Okubo responded, “She was hurt because such a thing happened with an 80-year-old man.”

“Then, if it had been done by a young person, she wouldn’t be hurt?” the judge asked.

“I don’t know,” Okubo said.

“Beyond that, you don’t know how she was mentally hurt?”

“……”

With the judge saying, “That concludes the questioning,” the defendant’s interrogation ended. Okubo stood up from the witness stand with a grunt and returned to the defendant’s seat.

The defendant’s apology that comes across as hollow

During the defendant questioning, Okubo expressed the following words of apology toward the victim:

“I truly feel sorry for what I did to the victim. I haven’t thought yet about what I can specifically do, but I want to sincerely consider what I can do. I want to continue holding feelings of apology toward the victim and avoid causing trouble for my family.”

However, while offering these words of remorse, Okubo also told the judge that he approached A because, “Her face was beautiful, and I thought she was overwhelmingly cute.” When asked about the sexual desire he claimed could be satisfied with money, he replied, “It wasn’t sexual desire to have sex. I thought it might be okay to touch or tease her.” He did not give the impression that he truly understood the serious impact his actions had on A’s daily life.

Although he admitted to committing sexual assault, it seems he may believe that since it did not escalate to intercourse, it was not a serious crime.

Currently, A and her guardians have refused to negotiate a settlement or accept an apology letter.

Note: FRIDAY Digital welcomes tips and information from readers. You can submit information via the form below or the official X account.

Information form: https://friday.kodansha.co.jp/tips
Official X: https://x.com/FRIDAY_twit