MITO - A 50-year-old woman accused of forcing her housemate to sew her own lips shut with a needle and thread admitted all charges at her first court hearing on November 11th, as prosecutors played disturbing audio recordings of the threats used to coerce the victim during an incident in Koga, Ibaraki Prefecture, in June 2026.
Masae Sakurai, who faces charges of assault and coercion, had previously denied the allegations following her arrest but changed her position at the opening hearing, telling the court, "There is no mistake."
Sakurai appeared in court wearing red-framed glasses, with her hair down and partially dyed brown. She faced forward and calmly acknowledged the charges as prosecutors outlined the circumstances surrounding the abuse of her 42-year-old housemate.
According to the indictment, Sakurai telephoned the victim while she was at Sakurai's home in June and ordered her to repeatedly pierce her lips with a needle and sew them together using thread.
"Stitch your mouth back and forth. Stop worrying about it and hurry up and sew," Sakurai allegedly told the woman. "If you haven't finished by the time I get home, I'll pull the stitches extremely tight."
Sakurai also threatened to inflict greater pain if the victim refused to carry out the act herself. "If I do it, it'll hurt more than when you do it yourself, so much that you won't be able to speak. You'll probably do it gently, but if you make me do it, the pain will be twice as bad," she said.
Prosecutors played audio evidence obtained from a security camera recording that captured Sakurai aggressively demanding that the victim comply.
"Hurry up and do it. Don't say 'please.' I'm telling you to do it," Sakurai could be heard shouting in the recording played in court.
The indictment also alleges that Sakurai repeatedly slapped the victim across the face and injured her after she stopped sewing her lips.
The case came to light in June when the victim managed to escape from Sakurai's home while her housemate was distracted and fled to a nearby store in Koga.
Unable to speak properly, the woman sought help by communicating that she could not talk and asking staff to call the police.
When authorities rescued her, they discovered that thread had been passed through her mouth, with stitching extending from beneath her nose to below her lower lip.
The victim later told police that she had been too frightened of Sakurai to escape earlier.
Police said the two women had begun living together in April 2025 after becoming involved in a financial arrangement involving loans.
An acquaintance of Sakurai described their initial relationship as one in which Sakurai offered shelter to a woman who apparently had no money or place to live, taking on the role of an older sister or protective figure.
A former colleague said Sakurai had provided accommodation to women who had run away from home and had nowhere else to go, helped them find employment, and received money from those living with her.
However, prosecutors described a relationship in which the victim became increasingly dependent on Sakurai and was subjected to financial control and degrading treatment.
According to prosecutors, the victim handed over her earnings to Sakurai under arrangements described as repayment of debts and other expenses.
When the woman's income became unstable, Sakurai allegedly began withholding meals, invoking the saying, "Those who do not work shall not eat."
Prosecutors also revealed that the women had an arrangement under which the victim would sew her lips when disputes arose between them.
The situation escalated when Sakurai accused the victim of dishonesty, including over eating food in the house without permission, and criticized her for failing to make progress in finding employment.
Sakurai allegedly began verbally abusing the woman, accusing her of lying and saying, "Let's sew up that mouth that tells lies."
The prosecution described the June incident as the culmination of this increasingly coercive relationship, with Sakurai threatening to inflict even greater pain unless the victim stitched her own lips.
Evidence presented during the hearing also revealed the harsh conditions the victim allegedly endured during their time living together.
In testimony introduced by prosecutors, the woman said she had sometimes been forced outside in a short-sleeved shirt and shorts during rainy weather and prevented from returning indoors.
"There were days when I was made to stay outside in a short-sleeved shirt and shorts, even in the rain, and wasn't allowed back inside," the victim said. "I thought I would die if things continued this way."
Photographs taken on the grounds of Sakurai's home showed a woman crouching with her knees drawn up to her chest, although it has not been confirmed whether the person pictured was the victim in this case.
Witnesses said similar scenes had been observed even during the middle of winter, raising further questions about the living conditions inside the household.
The victim told investigators that she had been afraid of Sakurai throughout their time together and had been unable to leave because of that fear.
In her testimony, she described the relief of finally escaping the situation. "I have now been able to obtain a life of freedom, and I feel safe," she said.
Sakurai's decision to admit all charges marked a significant reversal from her position following her arrest, when she had denied the allegations.
Legal commentators said her admission of guilt and any demonstration of remorse could influence the court's assessment of her conduct and potentially become one factor in determining her sentence.
The next court hearing is scheduled for February 2027.
