A 50-year-old woman admitted in an Ibaraki Prefecture courtroom on Wednesday that she terrorised her roommate and coerced the victim into stitching her own mouth shut with a needle and thread over missing food.
Masae Sakurai entered the admission during her opening hearing at the Shimotsuma Branch of the Mito District Court, formally reversing her stance after months of denials following her July arrest. The admission stripped away any lingering ambiguity about what took place inside the shared residence near Tokyo. The victim endured days of systematic intimidation. She was 42.
Court proceedings established that the violence escalated from rigid domestic rules enforced by Sakurai. Investigators documented that Sakurai systematically rationed the victim's meals, telling her that "those who do not work shall not eat."
Tensions snapped when the roommate consumed food without permission.
Between June 18 and June 24, Sakurai cornered the woman inside the home, issuing ultimatums backed by physical threats. Prosecutors detailed how Sakurai pressured the victim to take a sewing needle and thread to her own lips, delivering a chilling warning to compel obedience:
If you let me do it, the pain will double.
Masae Sakurai, cited in prosecution evidence
Fearing escalated physical trauma, the roommate complied.
To corroborate the allegations, prosecutors introduced security camera footage recorded directly inside the residence. The recordings established the chronology of intimidation and documented the interactions between both women across the June timeline.
Sakurai offered no contest.
Having initially dismissed all accusations when police took her into custody in July, Sakurai stood before the bench and accepted the charges in full. Her defence team formally informed the court that it would neither contest the indictment nor raise procedural objections against the prosecution's digital evidence.
| Case Parameter | Official Detail |
|---|---|
| Accused | Masae Sakurai (50) |
| Complainant | 42-year-old female roommate |
| Jurisdiction | Shimotsuma Branch, Mito District Court, Ibaraki Prefecture |
| Offence Window | June 18 – June 24 |
| Key Evidence | In-home closed-circuit security camera recordings |
| Plea Status | Full admission of guilt entered at opening trial |
Following Sakurai's formal confession and the uncontested presentation of home surveillance footage, the Shimotsuma court branch will hear sentencing arguments before delivering its final verdict.