Former Niigata NPO employee sentenced to 14 years in prison for sexually assaulting a woman with a disability

From NHK

February 21 2025

Niigata – On February 19th, the Niigata District Court handed down a sentence of 14 years in prison to a former employee of an organization, who was charged with crimes including sexually assaulting and injuring a woman with a disability while transporting her in Sanjo City. The court ruled that “he repeatedly committed the crime, taking advantage of the fact that the victim could not resist, which is despicable.”

Hosokai Toshinari (44), a former employee of an NPO that supports people with disabilities, was charged with sexually assaulting and filming women with disabilities while transporting them between 2019 and the year before last. Among these incidents, he was specifically charged for sexually assaulting and injuring a woman in a parking lot in Sanjo City in December 2023.

In the ruling on the 21st, Presiding Judge Kobayashi of the Niigata District Court said,“for approximately four and a half years, he repeatedly committed crimes by taking advantage of the fact that the victim, due to her disability, could not resist or report the crime, which is despicable.”

Furthermore, the court noted that “the victim was repeatedly subjected to severe violations of her sexual freedom, resulting in significant mental suffering. The fact that he abused his position as a caregiver makes this case even more unforgivable.” Based on these points, the court sentenced him to 14 years in prison.