He broke into a woman’s home more than 100 times to swap her underwear for new pairs and clean the place… The motive behind the burglar’s crimes, as revealed in court

In response to his father’s words, the defendant…

The trial of defendant Jun Okada (33 at the time of arrest), who is charged with trespassing and other offenses after breaking into the home of a woman he met through an online game more than 100 times, was held on September 11 at the Tokyo District Court.

“In October 2023, Defendant Okada broke into Ms. A’s home through an unlocked balcony, made a duplicate key, and began breaking in repeatedly.In March of this year, he installed a USB charger equipped with a camera in the living room and secretly filmed her in her underwear or naked. He has broken in more than 100 times so far, stealing Ms. A’s underwear and identification cards. In addition to residential trespassing, he is also charged with theft and the crime of photographing sexual poses” (Social Affairs Reporter for a National Newspaper)　

Defendant Okada, who appeared in court with a shaved head, had half his face covered by a mask. He was dressed casually in black cargo pants and a long-sleeved shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, but his expression appeared quite tense. Regarding the charges, he admitted, “There is no mistake.”

Ms. A’s written statement, read aloud during the opening remarks, conveyed a strong desire for severe punishment.

“It made me feel sick and gave me goosebumps. It’s terrifying that [Defendant Okada] tried to keep track of everything about me. It was a huge hassle to move and get rid of my underwear. I demand a severe punishment for the perpetrator.”

The defendant Okada’s father was also called as a witness, and when asked how he felt upon hearing the news of the arrest, he replied:

“He has a gentle and family-oriented personality. Since he’s never caused any trouble before, I wondered if it was really true.”

However,

“There was a time around ’23 when he called me in tears, saying his job hunt wasn’t going well,”

he said, indicating he had sensed something was “off.”

Defendant Okada began living on his own after graduating from college, but has since returned to his parents’ home and is currently receiving support from his family. Regarding the 2.5 million yen in compensation owed to Mr. A,

“I thought he should pay it himself, but since he has no savings, I felt I had no choice but to pay it,”

her father explained that he had covered the cost. He then expressed his concerns:

“First of all, if she needs treatment, I’ll make sure she gets it. I want her to become financially independent. I don’t want her to end up in poverty and commit a crime. Since we don’t know what the future holds, we’re still at the stage before she even starts looking for a job.”

Defendant Okada listened to her father’s words with her head bowed, occasionally wiping away tears with a handkerchief.

Next, the defendant was questioned. The following is a chronology of events from the time Defendant Okada met Mr. A until the incident occurred.

“I wanted to be of help to her.”

In December 2022, the two met through an online game. Their relationship grew closer, and in July 2023, Defendant Okada stayed overnight at Ms. A’s home. The next morning, he asked her out, but Ms. A turned him down, saying, “I can’t date someone who’s financially unstable.”

Unable to accept rejection, Defendant Okada began showing up unannounced to see her, so Ms. A blocked all his contact information. In an attempt to win Ms. A’s approval, Defendant Okada took a full-time job, but he couldn’t hold it down and soon resigned, returning to part-time work.

In October of that same year, the defendant, Okada, broke into Ms. A’s apartment—located on the first floor of the building—through a balcony window. From there, he began committing a series of crimes.

When asked by the defense attorney, “How did you know [Ms. A’s apartment] wasn’t locked?”

“I knew it wasn’t locked (from when I stayed there before), so I figured she was the type who didn’t lock her door,”

“I wanted the things she was wearing,” he explained. While searching the room, he found a note with the lock’s combination written on it and had a spare key made. He began breaking in to steal Ms. A’s personal belongings. In addition to underwear and other items,

“I hadn’t seen her in a long time, so I was curious about how her face had changed. I wanted the things she had,”

and also stole three expired driver’s licenses. He did not steal the valid licenses; instead, he photographed them with his smartphone and saved the images. When asked why he didn’t steal them, he explained, “I thought I’d be in trouble if they went missing.” He reportedly swapped the stolen underwear for new items.

He didn’t just rummage through her personal belongings; he would relax by eating light snacks like bread, and sometimes even masturbate. His desires gradually escalated, and “I wanted to see her daily life,” so he installed a camera in the living room. He replaced the SD card every time he broke in.

He would recall his conversations with Ms. A in online games to estimate when she would be away and break in. Initially, he broke in once or twice a week, but this escalated to two or three times a week. Before his arrest, he was breaking in almost daily, staying for one to two hours each time. “I was quite cautious at first, but my guard had dropped by the time of my arrest,” he said, admitting he had become bolder.

He was arrested on March 19. That day, he broke in around 4:00 p.m., rummaged through the washing machine and other items, then had a light snack and was relaxing.Around 5:00 p.m., Mr. A returned home and tried to unlock the door, but he was unable to open it because the defendant, Okada, had locked it from the inside. Okada attempted to escape via the balcony but ran into Mr. A. Realizing he was caught, Okada headed toward the entrance to apologize but was arrested by police who had rushed to the scene.

His grandmother had passed away while he was in custody, and when asked about this, Defendant Okada, his shoulders trembling, shed tears and said , “I am filled with remorse.”

The prosecution cast a skeptical eye on the matter, asking whether he had replaced the stolen underwear with new items in order to delay the discovery of the crime, but Defendant Okada denied this, stating:

“I wanted to be of help to her.”

Given that he reportedly restocked energy drinks in the refrigerator and even cleaned the house, this may have been a criminal act born of a twisted sense of love.

The prosecution sought a prison sentence of two years and six months, stating that the crime was “selfish and showed signs of habitual behavior.” When the presiding judge asked, “Is there anything you’d like to say in closing?” the defendant, Okada, replied:

“Although I’m prohibited from contacting her, if there were a way to convey a message, I would like to apologize. I’m truly sorry.”

Okada should understand that what the victim is seeking is not an apology, but a complete severing of all ties.

On September 24, Okada was sentenced to two years and six months in prison, with a four-year suspended sentence.