Care Facility Worker Suspected of Abusing Disabled Residents, 15 Possible Victims, Says He “Couldn’t Control His Frustration”

From The Kyoto Shimbun via Yahoo! Japan

October 30 2025

SHIGA – A male care worker in Higashiomi, Shiga Prefecture, who was arrested on suspicion of committing an indecent act without consent against a resident at a facility for people with disabilities, is now suspected of having abused residents in a total of 15 cases, including the one for which he was arrested, it was learned on October 30. The facility’s operator, the social welfare corporation Gamounokai in Higashiomi, made the disclosure. At a press conference, Chairman Shigeru Nishikawa apologized, saying, “We deeply regret the distress and concern caused to our users and their families.”

The man arrested by the Higashiomi Police Station on October 29 on suspicion of indecent assault without consent and violation of the Act on Punishment of Sexual Coercion by Filming (filming of sexual acts) is a 43-year-old certified care worker living in the same city. Around July 1 last year, at the facility where he worked, he allegedly touched the lower body of a 31-year-old woman with a severe intellectual disability and recorded the act on his smartphone.

Gamounokai, which operates the facility for people with disabilities known as Akane in Higashiomi, received a report from police in September regarding incidents at the facility and conducted interviews with staff before the suspect’s arrest.

According to Chairman Nishikawa, speaking at a press conference in Omihachiman City, between around April last year and August this year, the suspect admitted to 14 additional acts of suspected abuse against 14 other residents. These included pinching residents, headbutting them, and hiding their stuffed toys.

All of the victims in these additional cases were male, and the acts were carried out in private rooms in the living quarters, with no staff witnesses present. The suspect reportedly said, “I couldn’t control my irritation” and “I just lost my temper.” None of the male residents suffered injuries.

Akane is a facility for people with moderate to severe disabilities, operated by Gamounokai. It serves 60 users aged 20 to 83 and employs 41 staff members. The suspect, Fukumoto, was hired in September 2019 and mainly provided daily living support. The corporation has apologized to the parents of the woman involved in the indecent assault case and reported the matter to authorities under the Act on the Prevention of Abuse of Persons with Disabilities.

Chairman Nishikawa explained measures being taken in response, including providing psychological care for residents, holding an emergency meeting with families, ensuring a two-person staff system, installing monitoring cameras in daytime activity areas, banning the use of personal mobile phones, and expanding staff training. He stated that, based on administrative guidance, the corporation will conduct a full review and implement further preventive measures.