Trial of Former Sumo Wrestler Accused of Burglarizing a Private Home Through an Illegal Job: Mother Defends Him, Calling Him “Gullible and Too Trusting,” but Her Argument Lacks Credibility Due to His Many Other Offenses

The mother refused to act as a guarantor

Accused of applying for an illegal part-time job, breaking into a private residence, and injuring the resident, defendant Shōtarō Sakaida (31 at the time of arrest),Shunki Endo (22 at the time of arrest), and Hidefumi Okazaki (27 at the time of arrest) was held on July 27 at the Tokyo District Court.

On this day, defendant Sakaida was cross-examined, and his motives for the crime—which were far removed from the apology he had offered—were revealed.

Sakaida entered the courtroom wearing a black long-sleeve T-shirt, revealing a tattoo of the character for “kill” (殺) at the nape of his neck. As a former sumo wrestler, he is a massive man weighing 108 kilograms, and the way he cast sharp glances around the courtroom was quite intimidating.

“According to the indictment and other documents, in September 2024, defendant Sakaida conspired with accomplices to break into a residence in Nerima Ward, Tokyo, where he threatened two male residents—a father and son—demanding, ‘Hand over the money,’ and inflicted minor injuries on their heads and arms.The three are also implicated in multiple incidents that occurred in Chiba and Yokohama, and have been indicted on charges including theft and attempted robbery,” said a judicial affairs reporter for a national newspaper.

Sakaida’s mother appeared in court for witness examination. She stated that when he was a child, the family of seven—consisting of his grandparents, parents, younger sister, younger brother, and Sakaida—got along well. Regarding Sakaida’s personality,

“He is easily deceived and a bit of a softie; he isn’t very cooperative, but he is earnest and kind. I’ve seen him carry bags for the elderly and give them directions,”

she said. As a specific example,

“He was told to ‘take the blame for something you didn’t do’ and would do whatever his classmates told him to do. There were times when they took his money or pushed him down the stairs, but later, his classmates would tell him, ‘Shotaro didn’t do it,’”

he explained. While in custody, the mother reportedly received letters from Defendant Sakaida at a rate of four to five per month, expressing sentiments such as, “I’m sorry for causing trouble to those around me.”

On the other hand, his mother has refused to act as his guarantor. Regarding her reason,

“To be granted bail after committing such a heinous crime… I refused it as a sign of remorse,”

The prosecution pointed out that Defendant Sakaida had been arrested in 2017 for attempting to obtain a cash card from an elderly woman and had received a suspended sentence. In response, his mother said,

“Even if it was an attempted crime, I’m sorry. He’s a soft-hearted person who’s easily deceived, so I think he was simply tricked,”

She bowed her head in apology but did not forget to defend her son. Under the gaze of the packed courtroom, as his mother testified with a look of remorse, Defendant Sakaida watched her without changing his expression. What must be going through his mind…?

“I kept doing it out of curiosity.”

Next, Defendant Sakaida took the stand, and cross-examination began. At the time of the crime, Defendant Sakaida was working as a full-time employee at a shipping company, handling deliveries.

“I was doing part-time jobs on the side, so I wasn’t short on money. I was doing sorting work and helping with moves.”

There should have been no reason for him to get involved in illegal work, yet despite that, why did he end up getting involved…?

One day, after seeing a post on social media offering “100,000 yen for a day’s work moving,” Defendant Sakaida reportedly thought, “I’ll just ask about it out of curiosity,” and got in touch. Although he was earning 30,000 to 40,000 yen a day at his part-time job, 100,000 yen was an extraordinary amount.

“I thought, ‘Maybe it’s possible in Tokyo…’ I never imagined I’d get caught up in a case like this. Looking back now, 100,000 yen was simply impossible to begin with,”

she recalls. The person who posted the ad replied, asking her to “send a resume,” and she provided her driver’s license, her parents’ home address, and their names. When her lawyer asked, “Didn’t you find that suspicious?”

“I thought, ‘Maybe this is just how they send things.’ After I sent it, I regretted giving them my parents’ address. (The illegal employer) told me, ‘We have a job transporting stimulants,’ but I turned it down,”

she stated. Although she said she regretted handing over her personal information, she actually asked the defendant Sakaida herself, “What other kinds of jobs are there?” and reported that she was never harmed or threatened while doing the illegal part-time work.When asked by the defense attorney, “In that case, couldn’t you have just stopped?” she gave a flippant reason, saying, “I kept doing it out of curiosity.”

In the series of crimes, defendant Sakaida played a key role, such as driving his accomplices to the crime scenes in his own car.

“If I had refused, this wouldn’t have happened. I don’t think my accomplices would have gone to the crime scenes either,”

he stated. Defendant Sakaitada has also sent his attorney as many as 50 letters.

〈At my age, I’ve caused trouble and brought shame upon my family〉

It is said that his letters were filled with regret, but considering the flippant nature of his statement that his motive was “mere curiosity,” as well as the multiple incidents in which he is believed to have been involved, I cannot shake the sense of dissonance at this stark contrast. I will be watching closely to see how the trial unfolds.