Ex-care worker gets suspended sentence for assaulting residents at Hokkaido facility

From Sapporo Television Broadcasting

September 14 2026

Kushiro, Hokkaido – A former 31-year-old employee of a disability support facility in Kushiro, Hokkaido, was sentenced to one year and two months in prison, suspended for three years, after being convicted of assaulting residents at the facility.

The defendant, Hiroki Abe, a former employee of the Kushiro disability support facility Tsurugaoka Gakuen, was charged with assault.

According to the judgment, Abe assaulted two male residents by pulling their hair and stepping on their feet, among other acts.

At his first court hearing, Abe admitted the charges, saying, “There is no mistake.”

At the Sept. 11 hearing, the Kushiro District Court handed down the same sentence sought by prosecutors: one year and two months in prison, suspended for three years.

The court said Abe’s actions were “vile and malicious” and had undermined trust in care workers, but noted that he had expressed an intention to apologize and was showing remorse.