Prosecutors seek 18 months for ex Kushiro care worker accused of assaulting 4 residents

From TBS

August 12 2026

Kushiro, Hokkaido – A former employee of a disability support facility in Kushiro City is on trial for assaulting four residents. Prosecutors have sought a one-year-and-six-month prison sentence.

The defendant, 29-year-old Kai Takahashi, a former employee of the Kushiro disability support facility Tsurugaoka Gakuen, is accused of assaulting four residents by kicking them around the waist and face and slapping them in the face, among other acts, up until March 2026. One of the victims was a 58-year-old male resident at the time.

At a hearing on August 12, prosecutors sought a sentence of one year and six months in prison, describing the offenses as “malicious,” saying that the defendant had committed acts that were tantamount to trampling on the victims’ dignity and personhood.

The defense, meanwhile, argued that a suspended sentence would be appropriate, stating that Takahashi “deeply regrets his actions,” that the likelihood of reoffending is low, and that he has sent compensation and letters of apology to the victims.

The court is scheduled to hand down its verdict on August 27.