Court Hears Statement from 47-Year-Old Defendant in Case Involving 15-Year-Old Girl

Luring a middle school girl to his home

“I was prepared for the possibility that I might be arrested by the police.”

The 47-year-old man, who invited middle school student A (then 15), whom he met on social media, to his home and engaged in sexual intercourse with her, stated this resolve in court.

“On January 20, 2026, the Honjo Police Station of the Saitama Prefectural Police arrested defendant Tsuyoshi Kato (47), who was working part-time at a rental car shop, on suspicion of non-consensual sexual intercourse and other charges. Kato is suspected of having sexual intercourse with A, a resident of Tokyo, at his home in November 2025, despite knowing she was under 16 years of age. It is reported that Kato has one prior conviction for violating the Youth Protection Ordinance.” (Social Affairs Reporter, National Newspaper)

The verdict for Kato will be handed down on May 19 at the Kumagaya Branch of the Saitama District Court. Based on the proceedings from the first hearing on April 21, which concluded the same day, we would like to revisit the details of the case and examine why Kato committed such a crime.

The indictment read by the prosecutor and the opening statement at the first hearing revealed that this was a despicable crime that exploited the immature judgment of a middle school girl.

Defendant Kato met Ms. A through X (formerly Twitter) around May or June 2025. He continued to communicate with her via X and LINE. Based on the fact that she had written third-year junior high student in her profile and the content of their exchanges, he appears to have recognized her as a 15-year-old junior high school girl.

In early November, Defendant Kato and Ms. A met in person for the first time. He engaged in sexual intercourse with her at his home while simultaneously filming the act on his smartphone. He did not use contraception during the act, and afterward, he reportedly handed A a contraceptive pill, telling her, “Take this as soon as possible.”

The next day, a school nurse found A crying in front of the health room at her junior high school. Concerned, the nurse asked her what was wrong, and A explained that she had engaged in sexual intercourse with someone she met online. The nurse then reported the matter to the Metropolitan Police Department. The incident came to light, and defendant Kato was charged with non-consensual sexual intercourse, filming sexual acts, and violating the Child Pornography Prohibition Act. During the trial, he admitted his guilt, stating, “There is no mistake.”

“I intended to take responsibility if she got pregnant.”

Around May or June, when she met the defendant Kato on X, Ms. A was reportedly in a mentally unstable state. Kato, who believed that people about two generations younger are a better match because we have more in common, reportedly responded to Ms. A’s unstable condition by talking about her favorite anime, listening to her worries about school and friends, and telling her that [their meeting] was fate. Furthermore, in September, he reportedly asked her to date him with the intention of marriage and received her consent. For this reason, Defendant Kato claimed that Ms. A was his fiancée.

On the other hand, during questioning, Ms. A stated, “I didn’t really understand what marriage was, so I was just talking casually.”

However, despite claiming she was his fiancée, Defendant Kato has made numerous self-serving statements.

For example, Defendant Kato had hidden his age from Ms. A, and he explained this as follows:

“I thought if I told her my age from the start, she’d end up disliking me, so I planned to date her for about six months to a year, build a deep relationship of trust, and then reveal my age. And if she disliked me at that point, I figured I’d just give up.”

When his defense attorney asked, “Isn’t it also because Ms. A’s parents would oppose it?” he replied, “Ah, that’s part of it too.” In fact, to avoid being discovered by those around them, he had instructed Ms. A, “Don’t tell your parents. Be sure to delete our LINE messages frequently.”

Regarding his unstable living situation despite thinking about marriage, he stated, “I didn’t intend to live like this forever; I was looking for a steady job.”

As for having sex without contraception, he used the term serious relationship and stated during questioning, “We didn’t use contraception to confirm how serious we were about each other. Since we were in a serious relationship, I intended to take responsibility if she became pregnant.”

However, claiming that his mindset had changed by the time of the trial, he stated the following:

“I thought we could confirm our love for each other by not using contraception. However, when I considered how it made her anxious and whether I could truly take responsibility, I realized I was wrong.”

“Is that just a catchphrase of yours?”

In his closing argument, the prosecutor sought a five-year prison sentence, stating, “It has been established that the defendant used the victim as an outlet for sexual gratification, and there is no room for leniency given the defendant’s selfish and self-centered motives.”

On the other hand, the defense attorney stated, “The defendant deeply regrets being self-centered and completely disregarding the victim’s feelings,” and citing “the fact that a settlement has been reached” and “the expectation of future supervision and support from his family,” and requested a suspended sentence.

During the trial, every time the prosecutor or judge pointed out his overly self-centered excuses, Defendant Kato repeatedly said, “I was immature” and “I was good for nothing,” belittling himself.

At the same time, as mentioned at the beginning, he frequently used the word “resolve.” He stated that he borrowed the settlement money from his biological mother, whom he had not seen for about 20 years, because he asked her with the “resolve” to go to prison. Regarding Defendant Kato’s use of the word “resolve,” the following exchange took place with Presiding Judge Naoto Sasaki.

Presiding Judge Sasaki: “Is using the word ‘resolve’ just a habit of yours?”

Defendant Kato: “Perhaps.”

Presiding Judge Sasaki: “I think you’ve used the word ‘resolve’ quite a few times, even though you seem to lack any real resolve.”

Defendant Kato: “Yes.”

He unilaterally designated a 15-year-old girl—who was both physically and emotionally immature and unstable—as his fiancée, while failing to reveal his own age and instructing her parents to keep quiet. Furthermore, he engaged in sexual intercourse without contraception to test the seriousness of her feelings—

How will the judiciary judge Defendant Kato’s so-called “resolve”?

“FRIDAY Digital” welcomes tips and information from our readers. Please submit your information via the form below or through our official X account.

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