Japanese police arrest a 49-year-old woman near Tokyo over an alleged assault in which she is accused of sewing her housemate’s lips shut. Multiple outlets identify the suspect as Masae Sakurai, a part-time worker living in Ibaraki Prefecture, northeast of Tokyo. Police say Sakurai was arrested on suspicion of injuring a 42-year-old woman she had been living with since around April 2025. According to reports, the alleged incident takes place on June 29 at Sakurai’s home, where the accused is accused of using a needle and thread to sew the roommate’s lips together. The injured woman tells police she was too scared to run away before the attack. After the incident, the victim is unable to eat or speak and seeks help, reportedly fleeing and communicating with a written message. Police also describe the case as involving a serious bodily injury, and the arrest occurs on Monday in Koga, according to local reporting. The suspect has not been described as having admitted wrongdoing in the accounts provided.
Woman arrested in Japan for allegedly sewing roommate’s lips shut
Japanese police arrest a 49-year-old woman near Tokyo over an alleged assault in which she is accused of sewing her housemate’s lips shut. Multiple outlets identify the suspect as Masae Sakurai, a par...
- Police in Japan arrest Masae Sakurai, 49, near Tokyo on suspicion of injuring a housemate.
- The alleged incident occurs at Sakurai’s home on June 29, involving a needle and thread.
- The victim is a 42-year-old woman who reportedly becomes unable to eat or speak after the alleged attack.
- Police say the women had been living together since around April 2025.
- The victim flees for help and, in some reporting, communicates using a handwritten sign.
Woman arrested in Koga, Japan, for allegedly sewing a housemate’s lips shut with needle and thread.
1 month agoA dispute between roommates in Tokyo led to one woman to sew the other's lips shut "with a needle and thread," sending the victim rushing out into the streets for help and only able to communicate with a hand-written sign reading "please help me."
1 month agoJapanese police arrested a woman near Tokyo for allegedly sewing shut the lips of her housemate, officials said.
1 month agoPart-time worker Masae Sakurai, 49, was held by police on Monday in Koga over an alleged attack which left her 42-year-old roommate unable to eat or speak.
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