1 week Ago By Mieko Shimizu
On May 23, 2019, Yuka Takaoka , then 21, used a kitchen knife to stab her boyfriend at their fifth-floor residence in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward. The victim, a 20-year-old bar host named Runa, survived the ordeal . For Takaoka, who was the manager of a girls’ bar, she went on trial for attempted murder.
However, in the time leading up to the trial, she became a social media sensation . Users found the situation — including Takaoka’s appearance — highly compelling. On Instagram, she garnered tremendous attention as the “too beautiful attempted murder suspect.
” One reason for Takaoka’s popularity online is rooted in the idea that she is considered a “real-life yandere ,” which refers to a character from the world of anime. Typically female, the character turns to homicidal violence in pursuit of love. On December 3 of that year, the first hearing for Takaoka was held at the Tokyo District Court.
She was accused of attempted murder. What follows is a transcription of some of the questioning by her lawyer. In it, readers learn details the incident, how it happened, how it ended and her later regret.
–Let’s go back to the time of the incident. After [Runa] arrived at around 3:00 p.m.
on [May] 23, we put up the curtains together, talked and had sex. –What did you talk about? Apparently he had made a reservation at a hair salon that night, and that his boss had asked him why he was meeting with me outside the bar. –Why would your boss say something to you if you met Takaoka outside the bar? Because if I meet him outside the bar, I would stop coming to [his] bar.
After that, he fell asleep, so I went to the kitchen, and my desire to kill him and die remained the same, so I grabbed a knife from the kitchen and went to him. –What was that knife? On the morning of May 23, I bought it at Don Quijote in Okubo after work for household purposes. I had no intention of killing him, I just bought it for household purposes.
-How did you hold the knife? I held the knife in both hands and stabbed [Runa] in the stomach as he was sleeping. -What was [Runa] wearing? He was wearing a pair of pants. -Where were you positioned? I was standing in the middle of [Runa]’s torso, on his left side.
-How did you hold the knife? I held it with both hands. -What direction was the blade facing? I don’t remember. I stabbed [Runa] in the stomach.
-What angle was the blade at? It was at a right angle to him. -How many times did you stab him? Once. -After you stabbed him.
He tried to get up, so I got on top of him to stop him from getting up, and he tried to let me go by choking me. –What kind of conversation did you have with [Runa]? He said, “Okay, I love you so let’s stay together forever,” so I said, “I love you so let’s die together.” He put the knife under the bed and said, “I won’t tell the police, but I’ll call an ambulance,” so I took his mobile phone.
–Why did you put the knife there? When I stabbed him in the stomach and saw the pain on his face, I felt really regretful, and by that point I think I no longer had any intention of killing him. –What happened after you took the mobile phone away? He got up and went to the front door, so I chased after him, telling him not to go. He hit [me], punching and kicking with his arms, legs and face.
That’s when my contacts came out, so I went to get my glasses. I also took my cigarettes and cell phone and chased after [him]. –Why the cigarettes? I don’t know, but I found myself holding a cigarette.
I found [Runa] lying in the entrance. I was so regretful that I called [the police]. –Why did you call [the police] yourself? When I saw [Runa]’s blood and how he looked in pain, I really regretted it and realized that I had done something terrible.
I didn’t want him to die, and I was so scared of him dying that I called [the police]. –You told the police something different. You said to them, “I heard a woman scream when I was going down the emergency stairs, so I knew I couldn’t die with him.
” I was really panicked at the time, and I said “yes” to what the police and prosecutors said, but what I really regret most is having stabbed him. –Please tell us about when you called the police. They first asked me if it was a crime or an accident, and I answered “crime.
” It seemed like they thought it was a prank, so I told them the same thing over and over again. –What happened? I told them my name, [Runa]’s name, that I had stabbed him, that I was at the entrance, and that we needed an ambulance. I explained what I had done and made sure that everyone asked me.
–Why did you stab him? I liked him and wanted to be with him. I’m sorry. I did something selfish.
–When did you start to think this? Around June. I thought so after hearing about the [Runa]’s situation from my lawyer and hearing about my mother and father’s situations. –What was [Runa]’s situation? The scars were deep, reaching all the way to his liver, and he had been in a coma for five days without waking up.
–What about your parents? When they came to visit, [they were] very thin, [their] hair was turning grey, [they were] crying, and with so many media outlets at our house [they were] almost neurotic. –Is that [both] your father or mother? Both my father and mother. As time went on, I became more and more scared that I had done something so horrible, and I felt so sorry, so scared, and so sorry that I had [nearly] taken someone’s life.
I also caused trouble for my parents. –What about [Runa]? I wrote a letter of apology to [Runa] in June. I said I was truly sorry, that I would no longer be involved [with him], and [mentioned] compensation, and had it delivered through my lawyer.
–What about while you were in custody? I was thinking about [Runa] and my parents. Making sure they were eating properly, getting enough sleep. My mother came over at least three times a week, but my father was busy with work so he only came about twice a week.
–What did we talk about? We talked about a lot of things, like the incident, the procedures for moving out of the house, and our cat. –What about [Runa]? I heard that they settled for 5 million yen. I heard that they had submitted a petition.
–What about the 5 million yen settlement money? My mother prepared it for me. –What kind of exchange did you have with your mother? She told me, “I prepared it for your future. Your desire to return the money is enough for me, so you don’t have to pay me back.
” –What did you think? I want to work and save 5 million yen, earn more money, pay it back, and make my mom and dad’s lives easier. –How did you spend your time while out on bail? I took a training course called “Initial Training for Care Workers.” I want to be useful to someone in the future.
I took it because I wanted to be like my mother. My mother is a certified care worker. She’s a great person, and I want to be just like her.
–Is that a qualification? It’s a qualification equivalent to a second-class helper, and allows you to work in homes and the like. –How often did you go? About three days a week, for about six hours each time. The lectures were really fun.
I learned a lot of new things and it was very educational. I want to take practical training and study to become a certified care worker in the future. –Did you get the qualification? Yes.
–I heard that you need practical experience, so what will you do about finding a job? I would like to find a job through Hello Work and start working. –When you enter society, you will probably find people who know about the incident. How do you plan to respond to them? I haven’t thought about how to respond in any particular way.
It is a crime that I committed. –Should I just let it go? Rather than just letting it go, I will think about it deeply and make efforts to atone for my crime. –Can you endure? I will endure.
–Listening to your mother’s story. It really broke my heart. Seeing my mother crying so much, I didn’t know how to apologize, even though this crime couldn’t possibly be the fault of a parent.
So no matter how much it was painful for me, I decided to stay with her so that I could make her life easier. –And what about to [Runa]? No matter how much I apologize, I can never apologize enough. It’s a crime I can’t atone for, even if I spend my entire life doing it.
I don’t think I’ll be forgiven, even if I apologize. It may seem strange and weird for me to say this, but I’m really glad that I’m alive. I’m truly sorry.
That same month, the court handed Takaoka a prison term of three years and six months . At some point in 2023, she was released. At present, she is active on Instagram , X and YouTube .
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