Japanese Woman in Her 20s Raped by Air Conditioner Repairman

A recent case of harassment in Machida, a western suburb of Tokyo, Japan, has shocked public opinion. An air conditioner repairman has been accused of giving a young woman sleeping pills and sexually assaulting her.

According to Japanese media reports, the incident occurred when the 20-year-old victim was at home alone and called for air conditioning repair services recommended by her property manager. The technician, Suto Hiroaki, 40, gained the victim’s trust during the repair work and offered her a bottle of water, saying, “The weather is too hot. Drink some water and rest.”

The victim drank the water without hesitation, unaware that it contained sleeping pills. As she fell asleep, the technician proceeded to sexually assault her. The incident was discovered when the victim’s housemate returned home and found something amiss, immediately informing the police.

The police quickly investigated and found the suspect, Suto Hiroaki, through evidence from contact records and CCTV images at the scene. Despite being arrested, he denied all charges, claiming he knew nothing about the incident.

The police are continuing their investigation to formally convict the suspect. It is suspected that he had been planning to attack the victim for a long time, having previously repaired the air conditioner in the same flat last year.

The incident has raised concerns among citizens about their safety when inviting strangers into their homes for repairs. The police advise the public to be cautious and, if possible, have relatives or friends present when technicians make repairs at home.