“We Only Hugged and Kissed”—Celebrity-Favored Therapist Arrested on Sexual Assault Suspicion as Hidden Side Comes to Light

Offering everything from fortune-telling to pet chiropractic services

“I only hugged her and kissed her a few times.”

The man is said to be denying the allegations on those grounds.

On May 27, self-described chiropractor Tatsuya Yamaguchi (57) was arrested by the Kashiwa Police Station of the Chiba Prefectural Police on suspicion of non-consensual sexual intercourse and related offenses.

“Yamaguchi is suspected of sexually assaulting a woman in her 40s who visited his chiropractic clinic in Kashiwa City, Chiba Prefecture, for treatment in March of this year. The case came to light after the woman reported it to police about ten days after the incident,” said a reporter from a national newspaper’s social affairs desk.

On the morning of May 28, as he was escorted for transfer to prosecutors, Yamaguchi emerged from the police building wearing black-rimmed glasses and cast a sharp glare toward the assembled media.

The chiropractic clinic believed to have been operated by Yamaguchi is located on the first floor of an apartment building near JR Kashiwa Station. Displayed prominently in the front window were autographed boards from the late former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike, a celebratory photo of the late Shigeo Nagashima being tossed into the air after a championship victory as Giants manager, and a photograph of Yamaguchi posing with Shohei Ohtani (31) of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

However, the displayed items had become heavily sun-faded, and the premises reportedly gave little impression of cleanliness.

Yamaguchi also posted his photo with Ohtani on his X (formerly Twitter) account, where he promoted his clinic by writing:

“The director of [clinic name omitted] has 25 years of experience in sports chiropractic, and athletes come here for treatment. Anyone who truly wants to get better should try it. I’ve enabled someone who couldn’t sit in the seiza position for 20 years to do so in just one hour, improved a heart surgery patient’s condition from 20% to 60% through cardiac massage, and eliminated the aftereffects of a stroke.”

(Quoted as written in the original post.)

According to the reporter:

“Calling himself a chiropractor is essentially self-designated. In fact, when the clinic appeared on the TV Tokyo program ‘Moyamoya Summers 2’ in May 2021, it was introduced as offering fortune-telling services for 50 yen per minute. Neighbors also said they had rarely seen customers entering and did not get the impression that the business was thriving.”

The clinic’s website featured numerous photographs with athletes and testimonials expressing gratitude from clients. At the same time, it advertised services such as: “Shinto Sanwa Fortune-Telling – 200 yen per minute, first 15 minutes from 1,000 yen,” and “We also provide chiropractic treatment for pets!”

Under Japanese law, if an acupuncturist, massage therapist, or chiropractor induces a patient to believe that sexual contact is part of legitimate treatment and commits indecent acts under that pretense, the offense may constitute non-consensual indecent assault, punishable by six months to ten years of imprisonment.

Yamaguchi reportedly maintains his innocence, stating:

“I hugged and kissed her, but I did not commit any indecent acts.”

Police are continuing their investigation, including the possibility of additional offenses.