Tokyo Court Sentences Man to 16 Years for Stabbing Livestreamer

The Tokyo District Court sentenced Kenichi Takano to 16 years in prison on July 15, 2026, for fatally stabbing Airi Sato while she livestreamed on a street in Tokyo’s Takadanobaba district. Japan Times reported that Takano, 44, inflicted 55 stab wounds to Sato’s face, chest and other areas of her body on March 11, 2025.

Takano had spent roughly ¥2.4 million on Sato through purchases on a livestreaming app and payments at a hostess bar where she worked.

Prosecutors said Sato did not repay an additional ¥2.5 million that Takano claimed he lent her, which left him feeling deceived. ” The defense team stated that Takano had filed an unsuccessful civil lawsuit to recover the money and had been in financial difficulty, feeling so desperate that he considered suicide.

Japan Times reported that Takano traveled from his home in Tochigi Prefecture to Tokyo on the morning of the incident after seeing a notice of Sato’s livestreaming schedule and identified her location by watching the stream.