[Video Released] “Judo School Sexual Abuse”: Former Head Instructor Who Repeatedly Sexually Abused 7 Girls—His “Words of Remorse” Fell on Deaf Ears

Indicted on 10 counts involving 9 children

“A despicable crime in which the victims were exploited to satisfy the perpetrator’s sexual desires”

On October 22, ’25, the presiding judge sentenced Katsutoshi Uchiyama (pseudonym; 33 at the time), the former head of a judo school who had been charged with non-consensual sexual intercourse and other offenses for sexually assaulting multiple young girls, to 22 years in prison (the prosecution had sought 25 years).

Uchiyama had been charged with 10 counts involving a total of nine children, including non-consensual sexual intercourse and the filming of sexual poses with seven girls under the age of 13 who were students at his judo school, as well as violations of the Child Pornography Prohibition Act.

Uchiyama was first arrested by the Chiba Prefectural Police in November ’24. The arrest stemmed from an assault case involving a boy.

“The charges against Uchiyama alleged that during a judo school training camp in May ’23, he forcibly poured soy sauce into the mouth of a boy, Student A (then 10 years old).Subsequently, on December 26, the police re-arrested him on suspicion of assault for allegedly using his right arm to strangle Boy A, who was lying face down.

During the investigation into this assault on A, a large amount of child pornography—believed to have been filmed by Uchiyama—was discovered on his smartphone.The seized data included more than 100 video files and more than 400 still images. Investigators analyzed the child pornography, identified each victim one by one, and proceeded to make a series of arrests,” said a reporter from the crime desk of a national newspaper.

On January 7, ’25, he was re-arrested on suspicion of non-consensual sexual intercourse and other charges involving Ms. B, who was under 13 at the time of the incident. Subsequently, as victims ranging from Ms. C to Ms. H—all under 13—were identified, arrests were made repeatedly, resulting in a total of seven arrests by June 10.As mentioned earlier, Uchiyama was subsequently indicted on nine charges, including assault on a child, violation of the Child Welfare Act, non-consensual sexual intercourse, filming of sexual poses, and violation of the Child Pornography Prohibition Act.

He drugged the victim to put her to sleep…

The first hearing was held at the Chiba District Court on June 27, ’25. Uchiyama’s despicable crimes, revealed in the indictment read by the prosecutor and in the opening statement, were as follows. Here are some examples.

・He sexually assaulted Ms. C while she was asleep during a training camp. Additionally, during another training camp, he tried to sexually assault Ms. C while she was asleep after making her drink juice laced with a sleeping pill, but gave up when she moved her face.

・He lifted the clothing of Ms. D, who was sleeping in a car parked at a rest area, and sexually assaulted her. He also sexually assaulted Ms. D while she was sleeping during a training camp and on yet another day while she was sleeping in a car.

・While F, who was participating in the training camp, was asleep, he lifted her clothing and committed lewd acts, pouring condensed milk on the area around her genitals. During a different training camp, he sexually assaulted her.

All of the offenses against Ms. B through Ms. F were committed while the victims were asleep, and the children reportedly did not even realize they had been victimized. Notes were discovered on Uchiyama’s smartphone containing phrases such as “Sleeping Pill Retreat: Give sleeping pills when they go to sleep.”

At the second hearing on August 14, it was also revealed that he had committed sexual offenses, including non-consensual sexual intercourse on eight separate occasions, against I—who was under 18 at the time—by exploiting his position as a judo instructor. This constitutes the 10th charge against defendant Uchiyama.

Regarding his motive for the crimes, Uchiyama made the following statement during police questioning:

“I could not control my desire to see and touch the sexual parts of girls I knew. I committed these crimes because I had a sexual fetish in which I felt aroused by engaging in sexual acts without being discovered, viewing sexual parts, and taking secret photographs.”

Uchiyama admitted to the charges, stating , “There is no mistake whatsoever.” However, during cross-examination, he repeatedly gave evasive answers, leading the prosecutor to point out , “I believe there is an objective contradiction between the video and still images and what you are saying.” Furthermore, he made remarks that further upset the parents of the victimized children.

In his closing statement , Uchiyama said, “I would like to once again offer my heartfelt apologies to all the victims and their guardians,” and bowed deeply. However, those words fell far short of reaching the victimized children and their guardians.

The “FRIDAY Digital” YouTube video details the trial, including the anger of a parent who said, “I can’t help but think the training camp was set up solely as a means to satisfy the defendant’s sexual desires,” as well as Uchiyama’s remarks that provoked the parents’ ire.