Prosecutors Seek Sentence for 79-Year-Old Who Paid ¥2,000 Before Sexually Assaulting a High School Girl
“I thought maybe I’d do something sexual.”
“(During detention) the defendant turned 79 years old. He is elderly and also suffers from diabetes. While in custody, he has even collapsed due to fluctuations in his blood sugar levels.”
The defense lawyer for the man accused of non-consensual sexual acts against high school girl A (15 at the time) expressed concerns about health issues in court.
On November 4th, the third trial of Takao Okubo (79) was held at the Saitama District Court, and it concluded on that day.
Okubo is charged with obscene abduction and non-consensual sexual acts. The incident occurred on May 11th this year. Okubo, who had parked his car beside a park to have lunch and was relaxing inside, noticed A walking from the front.
Okubo described the moment he spotted A as follows.
Defendant Okubo described finding A in the following way:
“I thought she was cute, and at the same time, I thought if I called out to her and she got in the car, I could take her to a deserted place and maybe do something naughty. So I opened the window and called out to the girl, ‘Hello, are you taking a walk?’ and the girl responded with ‘Yes.'”
Then he claimed that when he asked, “How much allowance do you get? Should I give you about 2000 yen? Want to get in the car?” A got into the car by herself.
On the other hand, in police and prosecution interrogations, Mr. A testified about the moment when the defendant Okubo approached him as follows:
“I was suddenly spoken to and felt extremely scared, so I couldn’t run away or raise my voice. I thought it would worry my mother, so I couldn’t say anything about being sexually assaulted by the defendant Okubo on that day. Even now, when I think about being taken away, I’m too scared to go out alone.”
The defendant Okubo admitted to moving to a deserted place, committing indecent acts like touching Mr. A’s body in the car, and further committing sexual assault, which is charged as non-consensual intercourse, among other things.
The prosecutor refuted the defendant’s claim
At parting, Ōkubo said he “gave her two 1,000-yen bills as thanks for letting me touch her body.” It seems the day was unforgettable for him; he arbitrarily gave A the name “Hozumi” and wrote in his notebook, “Hozumi 2,000 yen.” The notebook was seized by police.
Two days after the incident, on the 13th, A’s mother returned the 2,000 yen to Ōkubo, who had followed A after spotting her by chance and gone all the way to her home.
During questioning, Ōkubo also claimed that “the victim (A) took off her clothes on her own.” However, in the closing argument held that same day, the prosecutor rejected Ōkubo’s claim as follows:
“At the time of the incident, the defendant and the victim were strangers, there was an age gap of more than 60 years, and the victim stated, ‘I was kidnapped and terrified, thinking where I was being taken, and I couldn’t do anything.’ It is inconceivable that she would voluntarily remove her own clothing.”
The prosecutor continued, “The defendant committed this crime solely to satisfy his own sexual desires, and such selfish motives deserve strong condemnation,” and requested a six-year prison sentence.
Meanwhile, the defense pointed out, as mentioned at the outset, that Ōkubo has significant health concerns. “Given the defendant’s current health condition, it is appropriate for him to live in society, with his family, rather than in a correctional facility,” they argued.
They further stated, “Certainly, non-consensual intercourse and kidnapping for indecent purposes are serious crimes, but in this case, the victim was not forcibly put into the car, nor were her clothes forcibly removed, and she was not physically injured. The manner of the act cannot be considered especially malicious, and immediate incarceration is too severe.” They argued that, instead of rehabilitation in a correctional facility, a suspended sentence with mitigation and rehabilitation within society would be appropriate.
In his final statement, Ōkubo said, “I don’t have anything in particular to say, but I feel ashamed to have done this at my age.”
Before his arrest, he reportedly donated to UNICEF, visited nursing homes as a volunteer, and performed enka and traditional Japanese dance, which he had practiced for 30 years—showing a philanthropic side.
During questioning, Ōkubo recalled the time of the incident, saying, “I thought that if I paid money, I could satisfy my sexual desires. I had the sexual urges of a man.” But by trying to forcefully satisfy those male sexual urges, whatever philanthropic reputation he had built was destroyed, and he now faces a heavy price.
The verdict is scheduled to be delivered on November 21
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Interview and text by： Nakahira Ryo
