<figure id="attachment_483549" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-483549" style="width: 529px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="1a5c6aca"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2026/10/44aa706ea620718997e96900c79518f8.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-483549" class="wp-caption-text">Defendant Mishima at the time of his referral to prosecutors on June 13 of last year. Keeping his head down, he boarded the escort vehicle without looking up even once</figcaption></figure>
<h3><span class="strongInContent"> A “highly malicious” crime</span></h3>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> “I’ve been dedicated to baseball all through elementary, middle, and high school.”</span><br>
<span class="strongInContent"> “In my third year (in an independent league), I was scouted by the SoftBank Hawks of the professional baseball league and joined the team.”</span></p>
<p> The former professional baseball player, who was arrested in June 2025 on suspicion of non-consensual indecent acts, calmly recounted his illustrious career during the lay judge trial.</p>
<p> On September 13, the prosecution delivered its closing argument in the lay judge trial of defendant Hayato Mishima (44), who is charged with nine counts of crimes against 10 women, including non-consensual indecent assault.The prosecution pointed out <span class="strongInContent">, “In every case, he targeted women walking alone; this was habitual behavior, and the nature of the crimes was extremely malicious.”</span> They sought a sentence of 18 years in prison.</p>
<p> Mishima joined the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks in 2008 as the fifth-round pick in the developmental draft. He played as a catcher under the name “Hayato Douue.” Here is a recap of the lay judge trial that began on September 28.</p>
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<p> Defendant Mishima entered the courtroom wearing a white top and black sports pants. Standing about 180 cm tall, he had a toned physique, likely the result of continuing his training right up until his arrest. After bowing slightly to the judge and taking his seat in the defendant’s dock, he sat with his back straight, his gaze directed slightly downward, and blinked repeatedly.</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> “Defendant Mishima was arrested on June 12, ’25. He is suspected of committing indecent acts—including groping the upper body of Ms. A (then 18), a woman he did not know—on a street in Hodogaya Ward, Yokohama, in April of that year.</span></p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> At the first hearing held at the Yokohama District Court on October 23 of last year, it was alleged that he covered Ms. A’s mouth and punched her in the stomach as she was on her way home,and after threatening her with “I’ll kill you if you scream,” he touched her chest. Regarding these charges, he partially denied the allegations, stating, “There is no doubt that I punched her, but I did not cover her mouth, say ‘I’ll kill you if you scream,’ or touch her.”</span></p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> “Subsequently, because he was repeatedly re-arrested on suspicion of other indecent assault cases, the second hearing scheduled for December 3 was postponed. It was decided that a lay judge trial would be held, combining this case with the trials for the charges against the other nine women,” said a reporter from the social affairs department of a national newspaper.</span></p>
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<p> The victims are 10 women, identified as A through J in the order they were indicted. All are women in their teens and 20s. The indictment and opening statements reveal that these were despicable crimes in which the defendant attempted to subdue the women, at times resorting to violence and threats.</p>
<p> The 10 crimes, listed in the order they occurred, are as follows. With the exception of Case ① involving Ms. F, all occurred during the four-month period from February to June of ’25.</p>
<div data-friday-nextpage-lead=" Details of the Crimes Against the 10 Women"></div>
<h3><span class="strongInContent">&#8220;Do you want to get stabbed?&#8221;</span></h3>
<p> ① August 2020: A case of indecent assault in which the defendant assaulted Ms. F (then 21), who was walking on a street in Hodogaya Ward, Yokohama City, by pulling the bag slung over her shoulder from behind, causing her to fall, and then pulling down the tube top she was wearing and directly touching both of her breasts.</p>
<p> ② In February ’25, on a street in Hodogaya Ward, Yokohama City, the defendant threatened Ms. B (then 16 years old), who was walking on the street, by saying things like <span class="strongInContent">, “Do you want to get hit? Get down on your knees,”</span> and then sexually assaulted her by grabbing the back of her head.Knowing at the time that Ms. B was under 18 years of age, he used his smartphone to record and save a video of her, and was charged with three offenses: non-consensual sexual intercourse, filming sexual acts, and violating the Act on the Prohibition of Child Prostitution and Child Pornography.</p>
<p> ③ March ’25: He threatened Ms. G (then 18 years old) as she was attempting to enter her room in an apartment in Kanagawa Ward, Yokohama City, saying from behind, <span class="strongInContent">“If you make a fuss, I’ll hit you.”</span> He then assaulted her by grabbing her right wrist and dragging her into the apartment hallway.This was an attempted non-consensual sexual intercourse case in which he attempted to sexually assault Ms. G, who had crouched down out of fear, but the act was not completed because she resisted.</p>
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<p> ④ April ’25: The case involving the aforementioned Mr. A (then 18 years old). Charge: Indecent assault without consent.</p>
<p> ⑤ April ’25: On a street in Hodogaya Ward, Yokohama City, he threatened Ms. I (then 20), who was walking while pushing her bicycle, saying things like, <span class="strongInContent">“Do you want to get stabbed?”</span> He put his arm around Ms. I’s shoulder, grabbed her chin, and attempted to insert his finger into her mouth; when she resisted, he struck her right cheek with the back of his hand and punched her in the stomach with his fist—a case of intimidation and assault.</p>
<p> ⑥ May ’25: On a street in Kanagawa Ward, Yokohama City, he suddenly touched the genital area of Ms. H (then 17), who was walking, from behind over her clothing—a case of non-consensual indecent assault.</p>
<p> ⑦ May ’25: On the grounds of an apartment complex in Kanagawa Ward, Yokohama City, he allegedly committed a non-consensual indecent act by suddenly approaching Ms. E (then 20 years old) from behind as she was walking, pulling down her pants and underwear, inserting his hand inside her underwear, and directly touching her body.</p>
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<p> ⑧ May ’25: An assault case occurred on the grounds of a facility in Asahi Ward, Yokohama City, in which the suspect approached Ms. J (then 22), <span class="strongInContent">who</span> was walking by, saying, <span class="strongInContent">“I think I know you,”</span> and then forcefully grabbed her left arm as she continued walking.</p>
<p> ⑨ June ’25: An assault case in which the defendant approached Ms. D (then 24 years old), who was walking on a street in Asahi Ward, Yokohama City, hugged her from behind, covered her mouth with what appeared to be a handkerchief, and touched her chest over her clothing.Furthermore, he shoved Ms. D in the back as she resisted, causing her to fall to the ground and inflicting injuries on her knees and other areas that required approximately 11 days to heal—a case of non-consensual indecent assault resulting in injury.</p>
<p> ⑩ June ’25: A case of non-consensual indecent assault in which the defendant suddenly touched the chest of Ms. C (then 20 years old) from behind while she was walking on a street in Hodogaya Ward, Yokohama City, over her clothing.</p>
<p> As a result of these incidents, Defendant Mishima faces charges including non-consensual indecent assault resulting in injury, non-consensual indecent assault, non-consensual sexual intercourse, photographing sexual poses, violations of the Act on the Prohibition of Child Prostitution and Child Pornography,indecent assault, attempted non-consensual sexual intercourse, intimidation, and assault.</p>
<div data-friday-nextpage-lead=" He has two prior convictions."></div>
<h3><span class="strongInContent">A tone that implies the victim was at fault</span></h3>
<p> Following his initial hearing last year, Defendant Mishima has partially denied the charges related to the crime against Mr. A.Furthermore, regarding the charges against the three women, he denied the allegations, <span class="strongInContent">stating</span> to Ms. I <span class="strongInContent">, “I did not say, ‘Do you want to be stabbed?,’ so while I admit to the assault charge, the charge of intimidation does not apply,”</span> and to Ms. J <span class="strongInContent">, “I did not grab her arm</span>, so <span class="strongInContent">the assault charge does not apply and I am not guilty.”</span> He has admitted to the charges against the other seven individuals, stating <span class="strongInContent">, “There is no mistake.”</span></p>
<p> Although he stated he would not dispute the facts of the case, regarding the offense against Ms. H, he remarked, <span class="strongInContent">“Rather than touching her genital area, it was more like a ‘kancho’ (a prank where one pinches someone’s buttocks).”</span></p>
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<p> During the trial, it was revealed that defendant Mishima had been convicted twice in the past.</p>
<p> In 2005, while playing for Nissan’s corporate baseball team, he persistently stalked a 27-year-old woman in Yokohama who was about to give birth. After stalking her, he suddenly grabbed her face with both hands from behind and kissed her.He also assaulted her by shoving her with both hands, causing her to fall to the ground, and was sentenced to “three years in prison, suspended for five years” for indecent assault resulting in injury.</p>
<p> In 2012, while playing for the Hawks, he committed an incident in a parking lot in Fukuoka City against a 17-year-old girl at the time <span class="strongInContent">. He threatened her by saying, “I’ve actually been told to beat the crap out of you.But I don’t want to do that, and you don’t want that either, do you? Lick it</span>, <span class="strongInContent">”</span> and sexually assaulted her. For this incident, he was sentenced the following year to “two years in prison” without probation for indecent assault. As a result of this incident, defendant Mishima had his contract terminated by the team.</p>
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<p> When questioned by his defense attorney about these two incidents, defendant Mishima reflected on them as follows:</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> “One day off, while I was riding my motorcycle, a mother and her child were walking together. They nearly collided with my motorcycle, but they didn’t apologize. So I chased after them, and ended up kissing the mother from behind. After kissing her, I pushed her forward, causing her to fall, and that’s how I committed the crime of indecent assault resulting in injury.”</span></p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> “I didn’t like the fact that a pair of girls, who looked like high school students, were in a parking lot with cigarettes and a lighter, so I sent one of them home and sexually assaulted the other.”</span></p>
<p> According to Defendant Mishima, in both cases the victims were also at fault, and his tone suggested that he committed the crimes as an act of retaliation.And in subsequent hearings, he repeatedly offered “reasoning” such as <span class="strongInContent">“she glared at me” or “she didn’t apologize”</span> —as if the victims were to blame.</p>
<p> Was it because of Defendant Mishima’s unique “reasoning” that these utterly selfish crimes were repeated?</p>

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<figure id="attachment_483550" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-483550" style="width: 370px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="4b38e8c6"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2026/10/d96f7c9d8f16627eebdf216c108cf226.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-483550" class="wp-caption-text"> It’s said that during his time in the independent leagues before turning pro, there was even talk of him making it to the majors.</figcaption></figure>


 Ryo Nakahira

 Shinji Hasuo

 On September 28, a lay judge trial began for a former professional baseball player charged with nine crimes, including non-consensual indecent acts against 10 women. What are the details of the crimes—allegedly committed against 10 women—by the man who was arrested last June?

“Nine Charges Against 10 Women”… The “Charges” Revealed in the “Retrial” of a Former Hawks Player

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