Lip Suturing Incident Involving Cohabiting Woman in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan

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The perpetrator, Sakurai

The victim hiding between buildings after escaping

The location where the crime occurred

While initially reported as a "bizarre incident where a cohabitant's lips were sewn with needle and thread," as the investigation progressed, it emerged as a case of assault and coercion against a cohabiting woman in Koga City, Ibaraki Prefecture, involving severe economic and physical control, gaslighting, and the involvement of an accomplice.

1. The beginning of the incident and the victim's escape
   Time of occurrence: Around 1:30 PM on June 29, 2026
   Location: A residence in Koga City, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan
   Suspect: Masae Sakurai (櫻井政恵, 49 at the time / self-proclaimed part-timer)
   Victim: A 42-year-old woman living with the suspect
   Sakurai was initially arrested on charges of injuring the victim by sewing her upper and lower lips multiple times with a needle and thread.
   On June 30, the day after the crime, the victim escaped from the house while Sakurai was out and sought refuge at a nearby shop. At the time, she was in a state where she could not speak properly because her lips were sewn shut, but she managed to ask for help. In the police investigation, she testified, "I was too scared of Sakurai that I couldn't run away immediately."
2. Bizarre behaviors witnessed by neighbors
   Starting about a month before the incident, neighbors frequently saw the victim crouching outside the house in the middle of the night.
   [Interview with a nearby resident] "The woman was crouching outside in the dark from the middle of the night. She was still there on my way to work in the morning. She kept sitting there even though it was pouring rain. It was strange, but I hesitated to approach her or report it."
   Police investigation confirmed that the victim began living with Sakurai in April 2025.
3. "If there's a problem, sew the lips" — Continuous forced self-harm
   As the investigation proceeded, it was revealed that similar acts of coercion had been ongoing even before June 29.
   June 18 incident (Re-arrested on July 24, indicted on August 14): Sakurai showed a needle threaded with string and said, "Hey, do it quickly," forcing the victim to sew her own lips. She used assault to prevent her from refusing.
   It is reported that there was a sort of "rule" or agreement between the two that "when a problem arises, the lips are sewn," but police view this as coercion using Sakurai's overwhelming position of dominance. (※ The direct suturing on June 29 is currently held pending further investigation)
   June 23–24 incident (Re-arrested on September 29, additional indictment on October 19): Sakurai pressured her over the phone, saying "Sew it quickly," and threatened her by showing a bundle of thread, saying, "If I do it myself, the pain will be twice as much," to force self-harm. She also caused injuries by assaulting the victim's thighs with a tool.
4. Appearance of a male accomplice (Yukio Shiga)
   During the investigation on September 29, an acquaintance of Sakurai, Yukio Shiga (志賀行夫, 54), was arrested and indicted as an accomplice.
   Around 2:30–4:00 AM on June 24: Sakurai and Shiga conspired to assault the victim, with Shiga slapping the victim's face and Sakurai hitting her thighs and stepping on her hands with both feet. (Resulting in 2 weeks of injury recovery)
5. Past history and suspicions of control revealed by weekly magazines
   According to reports by weekly magazines 《Shueisha Online》 and 《FRIDAY》, Sakurai is suspected of controlling women around her in a dominant manner.
   Economic and physical control: After bringing women with nowhere to go into her home, she collected and managed their cash cards, salaries, and welfare benefits under the guise of accommodation fees. She induced psychological submission by sharing videos of women with shaved heads in LINE groups.
   History of police consultation one year ago: Testimony has emerged that an acquaintance reported the women's condition to the police about a year ago, but active intervention was not taken at the time because the victims testified that they were living there voluntarily.
   Similar behavior 10 years ago: There are reports that she performed similar acts on another woman about 10 years ago, raising the possibility that this is a long-term pattern of criminal behavior.
6. Analysis of motive: Simple monetary debt or psychological control?
   Initial reports stated that "monetary issues regarding borrowed money that was not repaid were the catalyst for cohabitation and conflict." (The monetary relationship, established after meeting about 10 years ago, became the reason for starting cohabitation in April 2025)
   However, a comprehensive look at the circumstances suggests the following:
   Monetary issues were only the beginning: Rather than being for the purpose of debt collection or retaliation, Sakurai herself had significant debt, and there is testimony that she was extorting the salaries and welfare benefits of the women living with her.
   The essence of the abnormal abusive behavior: Acts such as making the victim sew her own lips and making her crouch in the rain are more likely to have been "means of submission and control" to completely break the victim psychologically and seize dominance, rather than for the purpose of collecting debt.