Man Broke Into a Woman’s Home More Than 100 Times, Replacing Her Underwear With New Ones and Cleaning Up—His Motive Revealed in Court

The defendant reacts to his father’s words

The trial of Jun Okada (33 at the time of his arrest), who is accused of breaking into the home of a woman he met through an online game more than 100 times and faces charges including trespassing, was held at the Tokyo District Court on September 11.

“In October 2023, Okada entered Woman A’s home through an unlocked balcony, made a duplicate key, and began repeatedly breaking into the residence. In March this year, he installed a USB charger equipped with a camera in the living room and secretly filmed her in her underwear and naked. He broke into the home more than 100 times, stealing Woman A’s underwear and identification documents. In addition to trespassing, he is also charged with theft and illegally photographing sexual images.” (National newspaper crime reporter)

Okada, who appeared in court with a shaved head, had the lower half of 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 around his elbows, but he appeared extremely tense. When asked about the charges, he admitted, “That is correct.”

The victim’s statement, read aloud during the opening statement, conveyed her strong desire for punishment.

“I felt sick and got goosebumps. I was frightened that (Okada) tried to know everything about me. Moving house and disposing of my underwear was extremely difficult. I want the offender to receive severe punishment.”

Okada’s father also testified as a witness. When asked how he felt upon hearing that his son had been arrested, he replied:

“He has a gentle personality and cares deeply about his parents. He had never caused any trouble before, so I wondered if it could really be true.”

However, he said he had sensed something was wrong when,

“Around 2023, he called me crying and said that his job search wasn’t going well.”

Okada began living on his own after graduating from university, but he has since returned to his parents’ home and is receiving support from his family. Regarding the ¥2.5 million in compensation for Woman A, his father said:

“I thought he should pay it himself, as he was the one who should be responsible, but he had no savings, so I felt I had no choice but to pay it.”

He then expressed his concerns:

“First, if he needs treatment, I want him to receive it. I want him to become financially independent. I don’t want him to become impoverished and commit another crime. We don’t know what will happen from here, so we’re not even at the stage of looking for a job yet.”

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

Next came questioning of the defendant. The following is the sequence of events from when Okada and Woman A met to the incidents in question.

“I wanted to be of help to her”

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

Unable to give up, Okada began showing up to see her without an appointment, prompting Ms. A to block him on all forms of contact. In an attempt to gain her approval, Okada found a full-time job, but it did not last long and he soon quit, returning to working part-time.

In October of the same year, Okada entered Ms. A’s home, which was on the first floor of an apartment building, through the balcony window. From there, he began repeatedly committing offenses.

When his lawyer asked, “How did you know that (the door to Ms. A’s room) was unlocked?”

he replied:

“Because I knew it wasn’t locked when I had stayed there before, I thought she was the type of person who didn’t lock her doors.”

While searching the room because “I started wanting things she wore,” he found a note with the key number written on it and had a duplicate key made. He began repeatedly breaking into the apartment and stealing Ms. A’s belongings. In addition to underwear and other items, he also stole three expired driver’s licenses, saying:

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

He did not steal her valid driver’s license, but instead photographed it with his smartphone and saved the images. Asked why he did not take it, he explained, “Because I thought it would be a problem if it went missing.” When he stole her underwear, he reportedly replaced it with new underwear.

He did more than simply rummage through her belongings. He would eat light meals such as bread and make himself comfortable, and sometimes even masturbate. His desires gradually escalated, and saying “I wanted to see how she lived,” he installed a camera in the living room. Every time he broke into the apartment, he replaced the SD card.

Recalling conversations he had had with Ms. A while playing online games, he estimated the times when she would be away and broke in during those periods. What initially happened once or twice a week escalated to two or three times a week, and shortly before his arrest, he was breaking in almost every day, staying for one to two hours each time. “At first, I was extremely cautious, but before my arrest, I had become less wary,” he said, acknowledging that he had grown increasingly brazen.

Then, on March 19, he was arrested. At around 4 p.m. that day, he entered the apartment and searched through items including the washing machine, then had a light meal and relaxed. Around 5 p.m., Ms. A returned home and tried to unlock the door, but could not open it because Okada had locked the door from the inside. Okada attempted to escape through the balcony, but came face-to-face with Ms. A. Realizing there was no escape, Okada headed toward the entrance to apologize, but was arrested by police who had arrived at the scene.

His grandmother died while he was in detention. When asked about it, Okada trembled and wept, saying, “I am filled with regret.”

Prosecutors questioned whether he had replaced the stolen underwear with new ones in an attempt to delay discovery of his crimes, but Okada denied this.

“I wanted to be of help to her.”

He reportedly replenished the nutritional drinks in her refrigerator and even cleaned the apartment, suggesting that these crimes may have stemmed from a distorted form of affection.

Prosecutors sought a sentence of two years and six months in penal detention, arguing that his actions were self-centered and showed a habitual nature. When the presiding judge asked, “Is there anything you would like to say at the end?” Defendant Okada replied:

“I have been ordered not to contact her, but if there is any way I can convey something to her, I would like to apologize. I am truly sorry.”

What the victim is asking for is not an apology, but for Okada to have absolutely no further involvement with her. He should understand that.

On September 24, Okada was sentenced to two years and six months in penal detention, suspended for four years.