Japanese man, 55, who raped daughter, then 16, appeals 8-year sentence, points to living expenses provided as restitution

A Japanese man, 55, sentenced in 2025 for raping his daughter, appealed his eight-year prison sentence.

He was found guilty of having sex with his daughter, then 16, multiple times from 2016.

Hiroji Daimon had claimed he was remorseful about his actions and pointed to factors such as providing financial restitution for his daughter as proof that he was remorseful.

The court dismissed this as an unreasonable excuse and rejected his appeal.

During the trial in 2025, while he had said he regretted hurting his daughter, he also said that she had not appeared particularly unwilling, and said he thought she was interested.

Riho Fukuyama, in a press conference responding to the appeal attempt, said she was doubtful of the genuine remorse claimed.

She said if he was truly remorseful, he would not have tried to appeal the sentence.

Furthermore, she said she was surprised that she still had this much anger inside her. Fukuyama also said she was shocked that he would use the fact that he was providing her living expenses as justification for his actions.

Fukuyama's husband also detailed the "hell" they had been through pursuing this case for the past few years, saying it had taken both a mental and physical toll on them.

He also said that, because of the trial, they still had not even gone on their honeymoon.

Still, Fukuyama said she was glad that she took this to trial. She emphasised the importance of having an impartial body, the courts, to definitively point out his wrongdoing.

While Fukuyama is insistent that she will never see her father again, she said she hoped he would not disappoint her further, possibly referring to future appeals.

"I sincerely hope that he will be an adult that I can respect, even just a little."

Image from MBS/YouTube and Asahi