"I Can't Speak": Japanese Woman in Her 40s Commits Grotesque Crime by Sewing Cohabitant's Lips Shut

Escaped and Sought Help While the Perpetrator Was Out

"Skilled at Drawing People to Her Side"

There is controversy in Japan after an incident in which a woman in her 40s sewed the lips of a female cohabitant shut.

Masae Sakurai (49), who is accused of sewing the lips of a woman she lives with. FNN YouTube capture

According to local media reports including Fuji TV (FNN), NHK, and TBS, Japanese police arrested Masae Sakurai (49), a part-time worker, on charges of injury for sewing the lips of a woman she lived with, identified as A (42), using needle and thread in a house in Koga City, Ibaraki Prefecture, on July 6.

The incident came to light on June 29, when A entered a nearby store with her lips sewn together and asked for help. It is reported that after being assaulted by Sakurai the day before, A escaped the house while Sakurai was out, and handed a note to a store clerk that read, "Please help me. Please call the police. I cannot speak," and similar messages.

During police questioning, A stated, "I was too afraid of Sakurai to run away immediately." At the time, the thread sewing A's lips was tied so that it would not come loose, and there were bloodstains, but it was reported that her life was not in danger.

The police have not released Sakurai's statement, so details such as the relationship between the two and the motive for the crime are still unknown.

According to local reports, Sakurai's house had almost no interaction with neighbors. One resident said, "Sakurai has lived here for two or three years. When she first moved in, she was with her foreign husband and two children," adding, "If our eyes met, we would just exchange a slight nod."

However, at some point, the husband disappeared, and it is said that from April 2025, Sakurai began living with A. In a photo taken about a month ago inside the residence, a woman was seen sitting crouched, hugging her knees; this kind of scene was also witnessed even in the middle of winter.

An eyewitness said, "At that time, the woman was sitting from night until morning. Even though it was raining and sleeting, she remained crouched until I left for work."

Additionally, a former restaurant coworker of Sakurai, where she worked until February last year, described Sakurai as "skilled at drawing people to her side," and said, "I heard she took in a child with nowhere else to go, introduced her to a job, and also received money."

The police are investigating further, believing there are additional cohabitants besides Sakurai and A at the residence. In particular, as several people were seen coming and going frequently, there is speculation that an unusual form of communal living may have been taking place.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.