The Otsu District Court in Shiga Prefecture has sentenced 29-year-old Yui Ichihashi, a former sex industry worker, to life in prison for orchestrating the murder of a 55-year-old company president and dumping his body in Lake Biwa in 2024.
In its June 16 ruling, the court found that Ichihashi conspired with 47-year-old Toru Kato to break into the home of Masami Niwa, president of a real estate firm in Ama City, Aichi Prefecture, steal his cash card and other items, strangle him, and dispose of his body in Lake Biwa. The pair used Niwa’s ATM card to steal 4 million yen.
During the lay judge trial, Ichihashi admitted to the charges. She told the court she could not repay debts incurred at a host club and had approached Kato—a customer from her sex work establishment—with the plan to commit robbery and murder.
The court described Ichihashi’s actions as “self-centered and deserving of severe condemnation,” noting that although the defendants initially abandoned the crime, they carried it out over two days while remaining fixated on obtaining money.