Japanese man, 57, fatally stabs idol, 24, after sugar dating for 6 months, gets 16 years' jail

A 57-year-old man in Japan, who fatally stabbed a 24-year-old former underground idol in a Tokyo hotel, has been sentenced to 16 years' jail for murder, reported Japanese media.

Akira Ishikawa was convicted by the Tachikawa branch of the Tokyo District Court for killing the woman, a Japanese idol named Sana Hirabayashi, at a love hotel in Fuchu City in February 2023.

According to Asahi Shimbun, the judge Kazuo Kitamura described the act as a “brutal crime based on a strong intent to kill”.

The judge meted out a sentence lower than the 18-year term sought by prosecutors.

Met victim through a sugar dating site

Court proceedings revealed that Ishikawa had met the victim through a dating site in August 2022 and began what prosecutors described as a “compensated dating” relationship, in which he paid her money in exchange for companionship and sex.

He was also in contact with eight other women that he had met through other dating sites while in a paid “relationship” with the victim.

Ishikawa paid Hirabayashi between 60,000 yen (S$507) and 100,000 yen (S$845) per meeting as reported by Daily Shincho, and it was estimated that he had spent around 20 to 30 million yen (S$169,000 to S$254,000) in his interactions with Hirabayashi.

He had retired early from his job at Fuji Xerox in 2018 with a severance payout of about 60 million yen (S$507,120), but squandered his savings on online shopping, anime figures, and financial support for women he met online.

He was known to have only a few friends, though he had not been in contact with any of them for about 10 years, and had only had one experience dating a woman in his early 30s that only lasted for three months.

Within six months, his savings had fallen from roughly 60 million to less than 2,000 yen (S$16.90).

The crime

The crime occurred in the early hours of Feb. 2, 2023, reported Friday Digital.

Surveillance footage showed Ishikawa and Hirabayashi entering a love hotel called Restay Fuchu near Fuchu Station around 2am.

Ishikawa was seen leaving alone approximately four hours later.

Police were alerted after hotel staff noticed the woman had not checked out more than 24 hours after entering her room.

Ishikawa later confessed to the killing when police visited his home.

According to Asahi Shimbun, Ishikawa stabbed the victim three times in the neck with a knife while she was lying on a hotel bed.

The wounds severed her jugular vein and trachea, leading to death from haemorrhagic shock and suffocation.

Police found him in possession of two knives, one stained with blood, and the victim’s identification card.

He confessed during questioning, reportedly telling officers: “I stabbed her three times in the neck to ensure she was killed”.

Relationship marked by obsession and delusion

During the trial, prosecutors argued that Ishikawa had become emotionally dependent on the young woman, and killed her out of anger and despair when she refused his request to go on a trip to Izu with him.

According to Daily Shincho, he told investigators that the argument escalated after the victim allegedly said, “If you don’t have money, get a day job.”

Ishikawa claimed he acted “in a fit of anger and despair”, and he admitted in court that he was “possessive”.

When asked by the prosecutors if he was aware that his relationship with the victim was purely financial, Ishikawa said he partly knew, but could not let go of the belief that she was his “girlfriend” or “fiancée”.

The defence argued that the crime was not premeditated and that Ishikawa had been suffering from mental health issues, including bipolar disorder and insomnia, since around 2015.

The victim and her background

Hirabayashi was described by friends and former colleagues as a reserved but earnest young woman who had pursued her dream of performing as an underground idol.

According to Shueisha Online, she performed briefly with a group called "Aoharu since 2015" (アオハルsince2015) before leaving due to internal conflicts.

She later participated in cosplay and photo modelling events.

Local residents remembered her as polite and soft-spoken, while former management staff said she became an idol “in search of a place to belong” after facing difficulties in relationships.

She had also been diagnosed with depression and ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder).

Her father, who had raised Hirabayashi alone after her mother’s death, gave a victim impact statement condemning Ishikawa for showing little remorse and calling him a “liar” for repeatedly claiming he could not remember parts of the crime.

He said his daughter “did not extort” Ishikawa but was “deceived by his extravagance" because of the money he lavished on her and asked the court to impose a 30-year sentence so the defendant would “never return to society alive”.

Verdict and sentencing

In delivering the verdict, the judge noted that Ishikawa had acted out of “anger, despair and possessiveness” when the victim did not comply with his wishes, calling his motive “truly selfish”, reported Asahi Shimbun.

The court acknowledged that Ishikawa had expressed some remorse, but ruled that the crime was deliberate and violent, warranting the 16-year imprisonment term that he was sentenced to.

Top images via bakusai.com, Friday Kodansha Digital