A Victim Among the Dead: Court Hands Down Verdict to Man Who, Under the Guise of “Work,” Induced Dozens of Junior and Senior High School Girls to Send Explicit Images

“This is a job offered exclusively to girls of high school and middle school age.”

This was the message a 36-year-old man sent to the social media accounts of underage victims. He coerced as many as 20 middle and high school girls into sending him obscene images, and in the case of two of them, he met them to engage in sexual acts for money while simultaneously filming them.

Yasutoshi Ichikawa (36), the defendant, faced six separate charges: (1) non-consensual indecency, (2) non-consensual sexual intercourse, etc., (3) non-consensual filming of sexual appearances, etc., (4) requesting the transmission of imagery from persons under 16, (5) meeting with persons under 16, and (6) violation of the Child Pornography Prohibition Act. On May 12, 2026, the sentencing hearing for the defendant was held at the Saitama District Court, where Presiding Judge Kenji Koike sentenced him to seven years in prison (with a prosecution demand of eight years).

“On June 25, 2025, the Saitama Prefectural Police’s First Investigation Division, the Juvenile Division, and the Kazo Police Station arrested the defendant, Yasutoshi Ichikawa, an unemployed man from Atsugi City, Kanagawa Prefecture, on suspicion of non-consensual indecency and other crimes. He was suspected of having middle and high school girls he met on social media take and send him sexual images and videos, which he then saved on his personal computer. The case came to light after a relative of one of the victimized middle school students consulted the Kazo Police Station. Ichikawa reportedly admitted to the allegations, stating, ‘I did it because I couldn’t control my sexual desires. My preference is for teenagers in middle and high school,'” said a reporter from the social department of a national newspaper.

Subsequently, because Ichikawa stated that he “had been committing similar crimes against about 20 to 50 middle and high school girls for the past seven years,” he was repeatedly arrested and indicted.

“The prefectural police concluded their investigation by substantiating crimes against 20 females under the age of 18. Additionally, from seized USB memory drives and other devices, 663 still images and 198 videos were confirmed. Ichikawa reportedly paid the females between 500 and 25,000 yen as compensation,” the reporter added.

In Ichikawa’s trial, the despicable nature of his crimes, which took advantage of the immature judgment of the girls, was brought to light.

When Ichikawa found the social media accounts of middle and high school girls, he would send the message mentioned at the beginning, claiming he was offering “a reward as a token of gratitude,” while disguising his actions entirely as “work.” Once he received a reply, he would send several sample images with instructions such as “Please film it like this,” or a questionnaire-style format to check how far they were willing to go, and even had them send images of their student ID cards under the guise of age verification. He would then have the victimized girls photograph and send pictures of their chests and lower bodies.

Furthermore, he referred to engaging in sexual acts for money as compensated dating (enjo-kosai) and sent messages using polite language as if it were a legitimate job, such as, “For the compensated dating, I will come to you and provide the reward in person,” or “I am currently coordinating the schedule, but I am a bit busy, so I will pay part of the money in advance.” He reportedly devised this format around 2020. During the trial, it was pointed out that these phrasings were used to skillfully ensure the victimized girls would not feel a sense of guilt.

What was the catalyst that led the defendant, Ichikawa, to get involved in such crimes? During the defendant questioning, he stated the following:

“I wasn’t successful in job hunting, had no income, and after breaking up with my girlfriend, I became desperate. The money I gave to the victimized girls was borrowed from consumer finance companies and my parents. I couldn’t stop because of loneliness and past successful experiences.”

The past successful experiences refers to the fact that in 2019, he had also made a minor girl send him obscene photographs and paid a 500,000 yen fine for it. Why would he call it a successful experience despite having been fined? Regarding that point, he explained as follows:

“The fine was quite heavy. I thought I didn’t want to commit crimes anymore, but I lost to my sexual desires. The experiences I had with the girls I interacted with in the past ‘flashed back’ to me, and I ended up resorting to those acts again.”

Ichikawa likely meant to say, “The crime I committed in the past was stimulating, and I remembered it.” Upon hearing that statement, Presiding Judge Koike immediately pointed out, “You are using the word ‘flashback’ incorrectly. You shouldn’t use words you aren’t familiar with.”

Ichikawa also revealed that he was already facing his own sexual proclivities.

Feeling that his crimes were exposed when the police searched his home in February 2025, Ichikawa stated, “I realized once again that I couldn’t continue like this and felt I had to receive treatment.” During the period before his arrest, he began attending a specialized clinic. Furthermore, saying that “it is important to control my actions and thoughts so that I do not have bad feelings,” he promised to continue treatment in the future.

“What I felt while receiving treatment was the importance of seeking help and consulting others, and the sense of security that there are people who suffer from the same troubles as me. Now that I understand those things, I would like to continue the treatment,” said the defendant Ichikawa.

However, this is not a matter that can be resolved simply by facing one’s sexual proclivities and undergoing treatment. It is not difficult to imagine that Ichikawa’s crimes inflicted emotional scars on many young girls, and there were even victims whose hearts could not bear the wounds they had received. Yet, despite the fact that this truth had been made clear during the trials to date, it did not seem that Ichikawa was unable to get the victimized girl out of his mind.

In the court proceedings, the victimized girls were referred to by alphabet, starting with the first person indicted, Ms. A. During defendant questioning, when the judge asked, “Can you recall the name of the victim referred to as Ms. F?” Ichikawa replied, “I’m sorry, I cannot recall it.”

However, when the judge followed up by asking, “She is someone who passed away in this case; does that help you remember?” he answered, “Yes.”

During the trial, there was a moment when the prosecutor read the deposition of Ms. F’s mother. It revealed her shock upon learning that her daughter had been caught up in a crime, and her deep regret over not being able to protect her.

Upon hearing from the Saitama Prefectural Police that your daughter had sent naked photos to the man we arrested, Ms. F’s mother initially could not believe it. Even so, when she questioned Ms. F, her daughter initially replied, “I don’t know,” but eventually confessed, saying, “I received money for sending naked photos to a man. I took the photos in my room.”

Soon after, the mother heard a sound like a door slamming open. She rushed to check, only to find the balcony window open and Ms. F collapsed below the balcony. She immediately called an ambulance, but Ms. F passed away at the hospital.

The anger toward Ichikawa was written in the mother’s deposition as follows:

“Looking back now, when I was driving with my daughter, she once asked me things like, ‘Do men like taking pictures of naked people?’ This was the first time she had ever asked me a sexual question.

I believe my daughter was suffering, unable to consult anyone after being sexually victimized by the perpetrator. But ultimately, she couldn’t carry the burden alone and must have wanted to hear my opinion. I cannot forgive the perpetrator who drove my daughter to such an extent.”

Regarding the moment he learned of Ms. F’s death, Ichikawa stated:

“I was deeply pale, realizing I had brought about such a grave outcome. I had never imagined it would end this way, and I felt the weight of what I had done very keenly. I feel incredibly sorry for the victim.”

Ichikawa, having received a seven-year prison sentence, will serve his time unless he chooses to appeal. Yet, as he himself expressed in his words of remorse, his series of crimes even led to a victim taking her own life. One can only hope that he truly accepts the gravity of these facts and that he does not “flash back” to this as a “successful experience” in the future.