Former Hawks Player Sentenced to 16 Years for Sex Crimes Against 10 Women Breaks Down in Court

Dating back to his playing days

“Because I had been assaulted by my former wife in the past, whenever a woman walking down the street glared at me, I would think, ‘I have to strike first before she does, or I’ll be the one who gets hurt.’”

Hayato Mishima (44), who stands accused of sexually assaulting 10 women and committing other offenses, made the statement through tears in court.

His lay judge trial began at the Yokohama District Court on September 28. Mishima faces nine charges, including non-consensual sexual intercourse, intimidation, and assault involving 10 women in their teens and twenties, identified as Victims A through J in the order in which the charges were filed.

At the ninth hearing, held on October 13, prosecutors delivered their closing arguments and sentencing request. They described the crimes as habitual offenses targeting women walking alone, with extremely malicious methods and sought an 18-year prison sentence.

What did Mishima say during the trial?

Mishima had been passionate about baseball since childhood. After playing for a corporate baseball team and in an independent league, he joined the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks in 2008 as a fifth-round developmental draft pick. At the time, he was known as Hayato Donoue.

Although he had finally achieved his dream of becoming a professional baseball player, he was subsequently arrested three times on suspicion of indecent assault. He was convicted once, while the other two cases were dropped. He had also received a previous conviction while playing for Nissan’s corporate baseball team.

In 2012, while still a Hawks player, he committed indecent assault against a 17-year-old girl. He was sentenced to two years in prison and served the term. After his release, he worked as a self-employed individual.

However, on June 12, 2025, he was arrested by Kanagawa Prefectural Police on suspicion of committing a non-consensual indecent act against a woman identified as Victim A, who was 18 at the time. He was accused of touching her body inappropriately on the street. The investigation uncovered additional alleged offenses, and authorities eventually determined that there were 10 female victims in total.

It might have been someone else

Mishima admitted to the charges involving seven of the 10 women, excluding Victims A, I, and J. However, when explaining why he committed the offenses, he sometimes gave statements that seemed to place the blame on the victims, saying things such as “She glared at me” and “I got irritated by her loud voice.”

For example, regarding the incident in which he allegedly sexually assaulted Victim B, who was 16 at the time, on the street and filmed the act on his smartphone (he was indicted on charges of non-consensual sexual intercourse, filming sexual acts without consent, and violating the Act on Regulation and Punishment of Acts Relating to Child Prostitution and Child Pornography), he testified:

“B was glaring at me, so I wanted to say something to her. I made a U-turn, parked my car, and went looking for her. When I found her walking, I called out, ‘What are you staring at? Do you want to get punched?’”

However, the claim that B was glaring at him was merely Mishima’s own perception. He even admitted that it might have been someone else who was glaring at me.

In another incident, Victim G, who was 18 at the time, had just said goodbye to her boyfriend outside her apartment and was walking up the stairs to go home when Mishima allegedly threatened her, saying “If you make a fuss, I’ll hit you,” and attempted to sexually assault her. He was indicted for attempted non-consensual sexual intercourse. Mishima gave the following account:

“I parked my car in the parking lot and was walking when I saw a couple talking loudly in front of an apartment building. Their loud voices irritated me. I wanted to say something to them, to make a remark to the woman who was speaking so loudly, so I followed her after she parted ways with her boyfriend.”

Victim G resisted, causing Mishima to flee. Yet, according to his own account, “I left because I thought she had willingly complied.”

“I can’t rule out the possibility that I was excited”

As he said at the beginning of the trial, Mishima claimed that his experience of being assaulted by his former wife had led him to adopt the mindset that if I sensed hostility from a woman, I had to strike first before she could hurt me. But how did this desire to get back at them turn into sexual assault?

“I did think that hitting a woman with my physically trained body would hurt her more, but I believed that sexual crimes would be even more upsetting to women. I came to think that I was engaging in sexual acts because I wanted to do something they would hate.”

However, he also admitted that he took pleasure in the sexual violence itself.

“Looking back now, I can’t rule out the possibility that I was excited by the circumstances of doing it outdoors. I also think I may have been influenced by the adult videos I used to watch.”

With the exception of Victim F, all 10 victims were allegedly targeted while Mishima was driving around between February and June 2025. When prosecutors asked whether he had been driving around in search of women to assault, Mishima admitted, “There was certainly some truth to that,” but added, “I couldn’t sleep at night. I didn’t want to stay in my room at night.”

When asked why, he suddenly began speaking in a trembling voice and broke down in tears.

“The year before last, I was involved in a traffic accident and seriously injured my left shoulder. Because of that injury, I could no longer train, and I had no way to relieve my stress. After separating from my wife, I could no longer see my children. Whenever I was alone at home, I would remember the violence I had suffered from my former wife and the fact that I couldn’t see my children, so I would drive around for hours.”

Whenever questions turned to his children or the traffic accident, Mishima’s voice trembled. He said:

“When I thought about how I couldn’t see my children and wondered whether I was no longer allowed to see them, there were times when I thought perhaps I would be better off going to prison.”

Yet while he sometimes spoke with open hostility and agitation when discussing his victims, he never shed tears for them.

In his final statement, Mishima apologized to the victims and their families and promised to seek treatment from specialists after his release from prison. Saying that “I eventually want to become someone who contributes to society,” he offered the following examples:

“For instance, becoming a man who can support victims of crime, and donating to or cooperating with animal protection organizations that rescue pets facing euthanasia, and actually taking action.”

At the sentencing hearing on October 22, Presiding Judge Takuo Sato handed Mishima a 16-year prison sentence, stating that the offenses were committed against young women who were complete strangers to him and happened to cross his path, and were motivated by his own selfish desires.

Will Mishima, who has committed numerous crimes, ever truly rehabilitate?