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Kenichi Takano leaves Totsuka police station in Tokyo on Thursday to be sent to prosecutors. Image: KYODO
crime

Suspected killer of livestreamer wanted world to know of unpaid debts

44 Comments

A 42-year-old man arrested over the fatal stabbing of a young woman while she was livestreaming on a Tokyo street said he wanted the world to know she had failed to repay debts to him, investigative sources said Friday.

The statement by the suspect, Kenichi Takano, came after he was arrested Tuesday over the killing of 22-year-old Airi Sato in a residential area of Shinjuku, one of Tokyo's busiest wards. He claimed she owed him over 2 million yen.

"I thought the world would know what she had done if I created an incident and a trial was held," he was quoted as telling investigators, the sources said.

Takano said that he had taken out 1 million yen in loans from two consumer credit companies to lend Sato, the sources said. He was sent to prosecutors Thursday on a charge of murder.

During a search of his home in Oyama, Tochigi Prefecture, police seized more than 10 receipts for bank transfers, some of which were to Sato.

Takano approached Sato while she was walking alone and started stabbing her without saying a word, the sources said. In all, he inflicted more than 30 injuries including fatal wounds to her neck and chest, according to the police.

Takano first learned of Sato through her streams in February 2021. Around August 2022, he began frequenting her workplace and later started lending her money after she claimed to be struggling to pay her living expenses, the sources said.

After losing contact with Sato around January to February 2023, Takano sued Sato that August over the unreturned money. A court then ordered her to pay 2.5 million yen to Takano, the sources said.

In January 2024, however, he consulted local police, saying Sato had gone missing following the ruling, according to the sources.

Takano purchased the survival knife used in the incident by mail order two to three months ago and brought it from his home to the Takadanobaba district.

© KYODO

©2025 GPlusMedia Inc.

44 Comments
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He borrowed money from consumer credit firms to lend her. Word to the wise: Don't ever go near those consumer finance companies.

20 ( +22 / -2 )

There’s also a missing story here. The victim Sato didn’t even pay back 1 yen, she stayed in tower mansion with her fiancee and went travelling a lot.

The guy asked her even to return 10,000 yen is fine, but he got blocked by her.

On Japanese site, the way she asked to borrow money is not someone once off asking to borrow money, but kind of a person who used to borrow money from others.

14 ( +17 / -3 )

you're gonna spend the rest of your life in jail. Was it worth it?

Well he got what he wanted. People know the girl owe(s)d him money. So it seems it was.

I definitely don't condone the guy's actions but;

This is a failure of the court system. Why was this girl able to so easily shirk her responsibility?

13 ( +17 / -4 )

“Remind me never to borrow money from a Japanese guy.”

The slain live-streamer used her youth and influence to get money from the middle aged guy who I suppose had never been liked by a woman in his life. He even borrowed money from loan sharks to get her to like him. But she got the money and duped him. Never lend money to a Japanese girl.

10 ( +15 / -5 )

Suspected killer of livestreamer wanted world to know of unpaid debts

Well I don't know about the world, but Japan now knows what happened, and that won't get you your money back at all. On the contrary, you're gonna spend the rest of your life in jail. Was it worth it?

7 ( +11 / -4 )

Well I don't know about the world, but Japan now knows what happened, and that won't get you your money back at all. On the contrary, you're gonna spend the rest of your life in jail. Was it worth it?

He won't have the worry of sarakin chasing him if he's in prison!

7 ( +9 / -2 )

She used the guy, plain and simple. It's an old story but you don't go about killing her. You get jail, she's dead and the money won't ever be repaid plus you may lose your own life. Control your rage. Don't lend money to or borrow money from people except as an absolute last recourse.

7 ( +11 / -4 )

Never lend money with the expectation of ever seeing it again.

6 ( +8 / -2 )

Anatomy of Motive is a book that examines serial killers and others. Good read in the genre .

This killing is a frenzied attack, done "up close and personal " for a pittance of money

This fellow deserves life in jail to keep others safe.

5 ( +9 / -4 )

The guy met her in person and could DM her, so there is a high chance she has led him on.

Her ranking on the livestreaming app corresponds to at least one million yen a month, so she could have paid him something back as demanded by the civil court. It sounds like such courts are powerless in reality.

I do not condone what he's done, but I doubt he'll get life for this. It'll be manslaughter or similar.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

If capital punishment really is a deterrent, as 83% of Japanese believe, will young, unscrupulous ladies now stop leeching off unpopular middle aged men?

3 ( +5 / -2 )

I do not condone what he's done, but I doubt he'll get life for this. It'll be manslaughter or similar.

I'm not sure that you understand what 'manslaughter' is.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

GuruMick

If someone took money from a crime syndicate and never paid back and blocked them, what do you think what happened?

What you are doing is trying to say this situation should not have the same outcome? Why - that's where you wrong when you try to respond. Actions have consequences.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

When the milk stops being free, I stop drinking.

Stop giving money to these talentless pretty faces.

They feed off your loneliness and they absolutely do not care about you.

They just extract wealth at your expense.

Treat them as such and keep your money in your own pocket.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Say what???

1 ( +6 / -5 )

It's difficult to justify any crime if we think outside the context.

However, we also shouldn't forget that for us as human beings, "unfairness or injustice" could easily lead to incomprensible behaviours.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

People get crazy when they did all things correct and still got fooled zven by justice.

She crossed the line, she lost it all. He is still living...

Not everyone can psychologically bear this kind of situation.

He must have warned her.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

FYI - her DM messages with him are published on Reddit - she was definitely exploiting this guy and that was a lot of money

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

GuruMick Today  05:47 pm JST

No victim blaming on the forum.

The "man " is a psychopath

Imagine if everyone who didn't get repaid stabbed the person .

I suppose we wouldn't have Trump....

Trump really lives rent-free in a lot of people's heads.

Good grief, can we go through a comment thread on just one story on this site without someone trying to force a Trump reference in?

Besides, in my experience, when an attempt was ever made to slyly work Biden's or Obama's or Hillary Clinton's name into a comment, especially so as to criticize them, it would be taken down by the moderators.

Within minutes.

But a shot at Trump, predictably, is allowed to stand for (as of this writing) nearly six hours now.

1 ( +4 / -3 )

when an attempt was ever made to slyly work Biden's or Obama's or Hillary Clinton's name into a comment, especially so as to criticize them, it would be taken down by the moderators.

That's because you have been accustomed to being a victim of a vast Obama / Biden / Hillary conspiracy to silence your own conspiracies, judging by the amount of time you spend complaining about the moderators here. It's so very MAGA.

I can assure you that we all get moderated. Only the feeble minded complain about it though, everyone else just rewrites or moves on.

Besides, in my experience,

An experience of what, a month on here?

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Victim on victim violence I guess

0 ( +1 / -1 )

That is almost exactly how I imagined the killer looked. Uncanny.

0 ( +4 / -4 )

It's nice to virtual signal in hindsight, but financial disputes is one of the leading causes of homicide.

She should have not blocked him and tried to make a payment arrangement. She going around live streaming while he going through financial distress by helping her - she is not a "victim" but a consequence of her actions to this serious matter.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

He’s only going to get 15 years…you heard it here first.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

GuruMick Today  04:56 pm JST

Remind me never to borrow money from a Japanese guy.

Such a comment would never be allowed if it referenced any other racial or national group.

Just because THIS Japanese guy killed someone for not paying his money back, doesn't mean that ALL Japanese guys would do that.

Does this really need to be explained to someone who is presumably a grown adult?

By the same "logic" demonstrated in your prejudice-laced comment, we could say "never lend money to a young Japanese woman."

But that would be no less bigoted, and no more acceptable, than what you said.

Next time, just comment on what the suspect allegedly did. And keep your bigotry against Japanese people to yourself.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

Remind me never to borrow money from a Japanese guy.

-1 ( +9 / -10 )

Message Sent

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Orange Man: Bad. Count how long…GO:

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Takano first learned of Sato through her streams in February 2021. Around August 2022, he began frequenting her workplace and later started lending her money after she claimed to be struggling to pay her living expenses, the sources said.

That would make her 18 and him 38 when he first initiated contact. It’s very bleak that most are questioning her not paying him back instead of why he was tuning into and becoming acquainted with a teenaged live streamer. He was definitely up to no good and when he wasn’t getting what he wanted, he decided he wanted his money back. If he didn’t like such childish behavior, he shouldn’t have gotten involved with a child.

That being said, I don’t condone her not paying him back. If anything, the police dropped the ball with not making a bigger effort to look into her on Takano’s behalf. But — it should go without saying but no one deserves to be murdered for not paying back a debt.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

She needed the money.

He was patsy.

She di

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

So he made his complete lack of common sense well know. Congratulations the world now knows he is apparently incapable of taking good decisions.

-2 ( +5 / -7 )

Next time don't lend money to people, even they are your cousins or your wife !

-2 ( +3 / -5 )

As Hamlet said: "Neither a borrower nor a lender be; for loan oft loses both itself and friend". I feel so sorry for poor Airi-san.

-2 ( +2 / -4 )

A lifetime in prison over 2.5 million yen? Doesn't make much sense, the real reason is the rejection.

-2 ( +2 / -4 )

Deo Gratias

Why don't you just come out and say, "She got what she deserved -- for taking advantage of this man for money, she deserved to be killed"?

She got the consequences of her action. You don't play with other people money or their emotions - that is the #1 rule of social interaction.

Whatever shaming tactic you are attempting does not change what happened to her.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

Only a FOOL would do this, probably he was attracted to the 22 years old girl hoping that may be someday he'll get lucky.

Then he when he realized it was mission impossible, Money Can't Buy Love, he sued her and then killed her.

Selfish Fool, that's all.

-3 ( +4 / -7 )

travelbangaijin Today  09:59 pm JST

She should have not blocked him and tried to make a payment arrangement. She going around live streaming while he going through financial distress by helping her - she is not a "victim" but a consequence of her actions to this serious matter.

She got murdered, genius. She is a victim.

Why don't you just come out and say, "She got what she deserved -- for taking advantage of this man for money, she deserved to be killed"?

That is exactly what your comment means, and your lame attempt to parse your words doesn't change that.

-3 ( +1 / -4 )

"I thought the world would know what she had done if I created an incident and a trial was held," he was quoted as telling investigators, the sources said.

huh. It looks more like you stalked and killed her.

-4 ( +3 / -7 )

"...I am freaken appalled by comments here justifying this murder.

Pathetic loser lends money to a woman and doesn't get repaid .

End of story for any rational thinking person"

A reflection of the state of minds

-5 ( +1 / -6 )

You have unpaid debts! Now we all know! Congrats! Now you also have unpaid debts to society to add on to that, and probably in prison you'll start owing people right away. Ain't life grand?

-7 ( +0 / -7 )

No victim blaming on the forum.

The "man " is a psychopath

Imagine if everyone who didn't get repaid stabbed the person .

I suppose we wouldn't have Trump....

-10 ( +7 / -17 )

No victim blaming people....sometimes you cut your losses...not cut the person

-12 ( +3 / -15 )

Seriously...I am freaken appalled by comments here justifying this murder.

Pathetic loser lends money to a woman and doesn't get repaid .

End of story for any rational thinking person.

-12 ( +2 / -14 )

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