Man Driven by Dangerous Obsession Targets Young Girls with Indecent Acts and Solicitation
Repeatedly engage in indecent acts on the street
“I felt sexual arousal toward underage girls, and I also thought that if they were minors it probably wouldn’t cause much of a fuss, so I targeted them.”
The 31-year-old man who repeatedly molested girls and solicited them for “papa-katsu answered like this to the prosecutor’s question, “What is the reason you target underage girls?”
“On September 8, ’25, the Chiba Prefectural Police arrested Hayate Moriyama (31), unemployed, of Kashiwa City, Chiba Prefecture, on suspicion of non-consensual indecent acts. Moriyama is alleged to have touched the chest of junior high school student A (then 12) several times as he passed her on his way home.
The incident came to light after A’s family consulted the prefectural police, and investigations including security camera footage identified Moriyama. He admitted the charge, saying, ‘I did it to satisfy sexual desire.’ Moriyama was a company employee at the time of the incident, but was dismissed after his arrest,” (national newspaper social affairs reporter).
Thereafter, additional offenses against B (then 13), D (then 12), and E (then 10) were successively uncovered, and he was repeatedly rearrested. It also became clear that he had been engaging in the so-called “papa-katsu,” in which money is given in exchange for sexual acts. The aforementioned social affairs reporter continued:
“As a result of analyzing Moriyama’s smartphone, videos of sexual acts with girls and images of student ID cards were found. The prefectural police rearrested Moriyama on November 26 on suspicion of non-consensual sexual intercourse, etc., against junior high school girl C (then 12).
Furthermore, on December 8 he was rearrested on suspicion of public indecency and other charges for approaching a female elementary school student in her teens on a promenade, exposing his lower body while saying sorry and touching her body. Moriyama admitted the charges, but this incident was not prosecuted. Ultimately the number of victims came to five.”
Moriyama, who committed offenses against five girls labeled A through E in the order they were charged, faces five charges: non-consensual indecency against A and E; violation of the Chiba Prefecture Nuisance Prevention Ordinance regarding B and D; and non-consensual sexual intercourse, filming of sexual poses, etc., and violation of the Child Pornography Prohibition Law concerning C.
The methods of the indecent acts that were revealed
On March 19, the second trial of defendant Moriyama was held at the Chiba District Court, and the case concluded that day.
Dressed in a black sweat suit, Moriyama entered the courtroom; he was about 170 cm tall. His hair at the back reached his shoulders, and with his ears and eyes hidden by hair he gave off an androgynous air and a timid impression.
However, what became clear from the indictment and opening statements was that, even while on duty, whenever he spotted a girl he liked he would stop the car and engage in obscene acts — a brazen crime showing Moriyama’s abnormal fixation on young girls.
“In early September ’25, while driving a car that had been lent to him by the company he was working for at the time, the defendant saw A on a sidewalk in Chiba Prefecture, stopped the car on the road, and pursued A at a brisk pace. After passing A, he turned around and, as they passed, touched A’s chest several times over their clothing.” (The offense against A)
“In late August ’25, on a sidewalk in Chiba Prefecture, the defendant approached B, who had leaned against a utility pole after feeling unwell, and asked, ‘Are you all right?’ When B answered, ‘I’m fine,’ he touched B’s chest over their clothing and left the scene.” (The offense against B)
“In mid-July ’25, having parked his car in a coin parking lot to visit a client, the defendant encountered a group of elementary school students walking home from school and thought about wanting to touch a girl’s body. He found E, who had separated from the group, approached, and, as they passed, engaged in obscene acts such as grabbing E’s chest over her clothing.” (The offense against E)
Defendant Moriyama, who repeatedly committed molestation on the street, also repeatedly solicited “papa-katsu.”
“I’ll give you 40,000 yen”
“In late August 2025, the defendant, while searching for someone to engage in sugar dating near a train station in Chiba Prefecture, spotted Ms. C. He showed her a memo app on his smartphone displaying messages such as ‘Would you like to do sugar dating?’, but she refused.
Several hours later, the defendant spotted Ms. C again and said, ‘Sorry about earlier, I’ll give you 40,000 yen, would you like to go to a hotel?’ Ms. C agreed, and they went to a hotel. There, they engaged in sexual acts, and the defendant filmed and saved a video of it on his smartphone.” (Crime against Ms. C)
25 In early April of that year, the defendant, while searching for someone willing to engage in sugar dating within the store, spotted Ms. D. As he passed behind Ms. D, he touched her lower body. When Ms. D turned around in surprise, he showed her his smartphone while saying, “I’m sorry.” The message displayed on the phone read, “Would you be willing to be my sugar daddy?” He then called out, “Come here for a moment,” but when Ms. D refused, he left the scene. (Crime against Ms. D)
During the trial, the statement of Ms. C’s mother, who had agreed to the sugar dating arrangement, was read aloud. She expressed shock upon hearing about the incident, saying, “I never imagined my daughter would do something like that.” While acknowledging that her daughter’s naivety and lack of morality were factors that allowed this man to take advantage of her, and stating that she wanted to strictly teach her to prevent such incidents from happening again, she also expressed her anger:
“I am convinced that the main cause lies with this man who lured my daughter away with money. I request that he be severely punished.”
Defendant Moriyama committed these crimes repeatedly, regardless of whether the victims were at work or not. When asked by his lawyer, “Why did you resort to this kind of behavior?”, he replied:
“I can no longer control myself”
“I was under immense stress at my workplace at the time, and I lost control of myself. The stress stemmed from interpersonal relationships and being assigned tasks different from those I was hired for.”
Unable to quit his job, he targeted young girls as an outlet for his stress, stating, “I believe my weakness of will led me to succumb to my sexual desires and commit this crime.”
Why did he target only young girls? When the prosecutor questioned this, he revealed his interest in minors, as mentioned earlier, and continued:
“I knew that sexual abuse of minors could leave lifelong trauma. Even so, I couldn’t stop myself from committing the crime.”
He then stated, “I can no longer control myself, so I am considering visiting a specialized clinic.”
The closing arguments were presented that day.
The prosecutor requested a seven-year prison sentence, stating that since each victim was victimized within their respective living areas, the impact on their social lives cannot be ignored, and the consequences are all serious, and that the repeated targeting of minors for indecent acts and soliciting for sugar daddy relationships suggests habitual behavior.
On the other hand, the defense stated that the defendant has promised to receive treatment at a specialized medical institution and family supervision can be expected, and therefore we request a lenient sentence.
Prior to his arrest for this crime, Moriyama had also been arrested and detained on suspicion of indecent assault against a girl around 10 years old. At that time, the victims agreed to a settlement, and he was not indicted. However, in this case, none of the victims agreed to a settlement, stating that they absolutely will not forgive.
What judgment will the judiciary make on Moriyama, who has stated that he is prepared to serve time in prison?
The verdict is scheduled to be handed down on April 17th.
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Interview, text, and photos： Ryo Nakahira