Ex-Entertainment Producer Used Drugged Drinks to Commit Indecent Acts, Court Testifies

The world was spinning, and even my vision

Former entertainment producer Takumi Hanada, whose real name is Taku Hosokawa (41 at the time of arrest), is currently on trial for giving sleeping drugs to a woman involved in the entertainment industry and committing indecent acts against her. His trial for quasi-forcible intercourse and other charges was held on October 31 at the Tokyo District Court.

Hosokawa had been arrested three times by January 2025 for giving sleeping medication to multiple women in their 20s and 30s. This particular trial concerns an incident from April 2024 involving quasi-forcible intercourse.

At the time of his arrest, he was working as a contracted manager for Sony Group, and it was revealed that he had previously managed Akihiro Nishino (45) of the comedy duo King Kong. Before that, he had even served as an executive at a company affiliated with Tristone Entertainment, whose president is actor Shun Oguri (42). Hosokawa was well-connected in the entertainment industry.

According to the indictment, Hosokawa invited a young woman—the daughter of an acquaintance—to dinner under the pretense of giving advice about her entertainment career. During the meal, he allegedly slipped sleeping medication into her drink, rendered her unconscious, and committed indecent acts.

Hosokawa entered the courtroom in a black sweatsuit. He is a large man, and his expressionless face behind black-framed glasses gave off an intimidating presence.

On this day, the victim testified remotely from another room. She described the vile methods Hosokawa used and conveyed her deep emotional pain.

Her connection to Hosokawa was purely by chance. At the time, she was working as an actress and model, dreaming of making it big in entertainment. The contact began when her father met Hosokawa at a year-end party in late 2023. After hearing that the daughter worked in entertainment, Hosokawa said:

〈Let’s talk when we have the chance.〉
(all 〈〉 refer to Hosokawa’s statements from the indictment)

Hoping it might lead to an opportunity, the father arranged a meeting at a café in Shibuya in late March 2024 with the daughter included. At that meeting, Hosokawa told her:

〈It might be hard to talk openly with your father here, so let’s meet another day.〉

They exchanged contact information, and in April they met again—this time at a Korean restaurant for dinner, just the two of them. She spoke about her ambitions, and Hosokawa lectured her on the entertainment business. At one point, he said:

〈I’m going to smoke—why don’t you go to the restroom for a bit?〉

When she returned to the table, he told her:

〈Let’s drink some makgeolli.〉

He kept encouraging her to drink more as they toasted.

The woman testified that she had never lost her memory from drinking before and that she normally had a high alcohol tolerance. But that night was different:

“I felt short of breath and had a headache. The world was spinning, and my vision was blurry.”

Still, she felt she couldn’t excuse herself:

“He was someone in a higher position at an entertainment company, so I thought I had to stay composed.”

Soon after, he again suggested:

〈Go to the restroom. I’ll go smoke.〉

In the restroom, she quickly sent a LINE message to her boyfriend:

“Something is wrong. I might be in danger.”

She drank water from the sink hoping to sober up, but when she returned, her condition didn’t improve. She vomited at the table, and her memory began to fade from that point onward.

Something’s wrong. Seriously wrong.

The woman had no memory of leaving the restaurant.

“When I opened my eyes, I saw a ceiling in a dark room.”

She was lying on her back on a bed.

“I felt sick, and I couldn’t even think about where I was.”

She could not sit up. While she lay there unable to move, drifting in and out of consciousness, she felt facial hair brushing against her skin and a warm sensation on her lips. She testified:

“I think he was kissing me. My blouse was pulled up, my bra was removed, and I felt pain in my lower body.”

The next time she regained clear awareness, she was inside a taxi with Hosokawa sitting beside her. Not understanding what had happened to her, she returned home and immediately sent messages:

“I felt like something terrible had happened, so I contacted my sister and my boyfriend at the time, saying, ‘Something’s wrong. Seriously wrong.’”

She was later taken to the hospital by ambulance. A urine test detected the presence of sleeping medication. However, she had no memory of being examined at the hospital and said:

“My next memory is sitting in a chair at the police station. During questioning, I kept my head on the desk. I couldn’t answer anything.”

She had never taken sleeping medication before.

“I think he slipped something into my drink when I left the table.”

Since the incident, her daily life has been severely disrupted.

“I became afraid to go outside. I couldn’t eat and lost weight. I didn’t want to do anything, and I couldn’t sleep. I keep having flashbacks and can no longer live normally.”

She was later diagnosed with PTSD by a psychiatrist. When asked about her feelings toward the defendant, she said:

“Putting sleeping medication in my drink and doing whatever he wanted is unforgivable. I can’t live a normal life anymore because of him. My life has changed, and I can’t forgive that. I want him to be properly punished.”

Throughout her testimony, Hosokawa remained expressionless. Whether her words reached him was impossible to tell from his face.