Stabbed a 22-Year-Old Woman 55 Times… The Full Story Behind the “Tragedy Born of Lonely Love” in the Takadanobaba Livestreamer Murder Case: The 44-Year-Old Defendant

Betrayed by Her “Only Source of Comfort”

At 9:51 a.m. on March 11, ’25, on a street near Takadanobaba Station (Shinjuku Ward) in Tokyo, a woman who was livestreaming was stabbed 55 times by a man. Her agonized screams as she was brutally murdered were broadcast in real time on the livestreaming app “Fuwatch.”

“Oh no, it hurts, stop, it hurts, help me, help me, no, no, help me…”

The victim was Airi Sato (22 at the time), a live streamer known as “Ai Mogami.” The perpetrator was defendant Kenichi Takano (44), who had been a fan of hers.The motive stemmed from Takano’s unrequited love for Airi, who had given him large sums of money but failed to repay a debt of approximately 2.5 million yen. What exactly is the nature of the live stream that led to this murder? What became clear from the trial I attended this past July and my reporting was the bottomless loneliness of the people who gather on the app—.

Takano, who grew up in Tochigi Prefecture, had struggled with interpersonal relationships since childhood. After working at a company for several years, he became a shut-in for about 15 years, but his parents’ home was not a place where he felt safe. His mother collapsed due to a brain disease, his father was exhausted from caring for her, and the family fell apart.During the trial, Takano described his family relationships as follows:

“We ate meals separately, there was absolutely no conversation, and there was only fear [of my father].”

For Takano, who was in such a difficult situation, watching “Fuwacchi” became a source of emotional comfort. It was there that he met Airi.

Airi began streaming on “Fuwacchi” at the end of 2021. It was during her second stream that she met Takano. Airi was 19 at the time, and Takano was 39. “Fuwacchi” has a system that allows viewers to “tip” the streamers they support.Airi exchanged LINE contacts with Takano and whispered sweet nothings to him almost every day. Takano became hooked in the blink of an eye and spent over 1.6 million yen in about half a year. Below are the LINE messages Takano sent to Airi.

“I love you, Airi. I’ve always loved you. I’ll always love you—I love you so much. Please, just reply. I’m lonely, Airi. You’re the only one for me.”

Cornered

Starting in September 2022, Airi began demanding that I lend her cash. Her reasons for borrowing were full of lies.

“I can’t pay my cell phone bill,” “I need money for my sister’s abortion,” “I have cancer,” “I coughed up blood”…

Takano took her at her word. Borrowing from consumer finance companies and other sources, the total amount Takano lent to Airi reached approximately 2.55 million yen in just about two months.

Airi’s replies stopped abruptly shortly after he had lent her the money. Takano began to suspect he had been scammed. He was being cornered by collection notices from the consumer finance companies. Around this time, Takano sent Airi the following message on LINE:

<Help me, help me, help me, help me, help me, help me, help me, help me, help me>

You can probably imagine just how desperate Takano was.

In the summer of ’23, Takano filed a lawsuit against Airi demanding repayment of the debt, but she claimed she had no money on hand. Takano concluded that Airi must have intended to default on the debt. That conviction turned into intense anger.

And then, the incident occurred in Takadanobaba.

On July 15, ’26, the Tokyo District Court sentenced Takano to 16 years in prison for murder and other charges. In a letter he sent me from the detention center, Takano wrote:

“I believe this is a personal matter for me, not a social one.”

However, to me, this incident seems to reveal the dark underbelly of the internet, which swallows up those in socially vulnerable positions whole. [Some names omitted]

The July 24 issue of *FRIDAY* (August 7 & 14 edition) and the paid version, *FRIDAY GOLD*, provide more detailed coverage of Airi’s lonely upbringing and the harrowing circumstances that drove Takano to the brink of mental collapse.

Click here to view the full details and multiple photos ↓

From the August 7 & 14, 2026, combined issue of *FRIDAY*