Investigators Uncover the Alleged Scope of Abuse by Former Care Worker

More than 4,000 photos and videos of young girls

“There is absolutely nothing wrong with that.”

A man who brought a 5-year-old girl with a disability into his home and committed indecent acts against her. In court, despite his tall stature—he appeared to be at least 180 cm—he admitted his guilt in a voice so soft it was barely audible.

“On April 11, ’26, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department’s Juvenile Welfare Division and the Hachioji Police Station arrested defendant Takaya Goto (46), a former employee responsible for transporting children at a facility for children with disabilities, on suspicion of non-consensual indecent acts and other charges. Goto is suspected of luring a girl, Ms. A (then 5 years old), who attended the facility, into his apartment in ’24, committing indecent acts against her, and filming the incident.

During questioning, Goto reportedly denied the charges, saying, ‘I don’t know how this happened,’ but also stated, ‘My sexual interests range from nursery schoolers and kindergarteners to elementary school students; there’s no doubt that I am a lolicon’” (Social Affairs Reporter, National Newspaper).

The case came to light in November ’25 after the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department received a tip that a man named Takaya Goto may be in possession of child pornography. After his arrest on April 11, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department conducted a search of his residence and vehicle, seizing a smartphone and DVDs containing child pornography. It is reported that more than 4,000 obscene videos and photos of multiple young girls were stored on these devices. The analysis of the seized items led to his subsequent re-arrest. The reporter mentioned earlier continues:

“On May 14, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department re-arrested Goto on charges including indecent acts without consent. He is suspected of luring a then-6-year-old girl—who was attending a support facility for children with disabilities in ’24—into the restrooms of his apartment and a commercial facility on five separate occasions, where he committed indecent acts and recorded them on his smartphone. Goto denies the charges, stating, ‘I have no memory of it.’

Subsequently, on June 2, he was arrested for the third time on suspicion of non-consensual sexual intercourse with a girl who was 9 years old at the time, among other charges. He is suspected of taking the girl—who was attending a support facility for children with disabilities in ’24—to multipurpose restrooms at commercial facilities and other locations, where he allegedly committed indecent acts on five separate occasions and recorded them on his smartphone. Although all of these offenses occurred while he was driving the children to and from the facility, Goto reportedly remained silent regarding this case.”

Exchanging photos with like-minded people

On June 11, the first hearing for defendant Goto was held at the Tachikawa Branch of the Tokyo District Court.

As revealed by the indictment read by the prosecutor and the opening statement, this was a despicable crime in which the defendant exploited Ms. A’s vulnerability—her difficulty communicating verbally—in an attempt to satisfy his own desires.

In February ’24, Defendant Goto brought Ms. A to his apartment, touched her lower body, filmed the act on his smartphone, and saved four video files on his phone. The prosecutor pointed out his relationships with others who share the same sexual preferences.

“(Defendant Goto) repeatedly brought children attending a support facility for people with disabilities to his residence at the time and engaged in lewd acts with them; he also exchanged sexually explicit images of the children with third parties.”

The proceedings at the first hearing focused on three charges: non-consensual indecent acts against A, filming sexual poses, and violation of the Child Pornography Prohibition Act. Although Defendant Goto had denied the charges after his arrest, stating, “I don’t know why I brought them home,” once he took the stand, he nodded slightly and admitted to the charges as described above.

During the trial, the prosecutor read aloud a written statement from A’s guardian. The content of the statement conveyed intense anger toward Defendant Goto.

Arrested for the fourth time on the 16th

“My husband and I have not asked our daughter about this incident, nor do we intend to. Even if we did ask, I don’t think she would answer. However, we cannot forgive the perpetrator who did this to our only daughter, who is so precious to us. We hope that the perpetrator will be given a severe punishment.”

Defendant Goto passed the childcare worker certification exam in 2016 and worked as a childcare worker. He also holds a Type 1 Kindergarten Teacher’s License. At the time of the incident, he was employed at a facility for children with disabilities, where he was responsible for transporting children to and from the facility; however, that facility has since closed. At the time of his arrest, he was working at a different facility. He was dismissed from that facility effective May 1 of this year.

During police questioning, Defendant Goto reportedly admitted, “There is no doubt that I am a lolicon.” He attended university to obtain his childcare worker and kindergarten teacher licenses, but did he not realize his sexual orientation while studying? Or did he pursue these careers precisely because of his sexual orientation?

On June 16, Defendant Goto was arrested once again on suspicion of non-consensual sexual intercourse and other charges. This marks his fourth arrest. In February 2024, he is suspected of taking a then-9-year-old girl who attended the facility—again while driving her to and from the facility—into a restroom at a shopping mall, sexually assaulting her, and filming the act.

Goto is reportedly remaining silent regarding this case as well. It seems it will take quite some time before the full extent of his crimes—and just how many more there are—is revealed. One thing is certain: this monster must not be set free into society. A severe punishment is warranted.