Japanese woman gets into an argument with roommate, then sews her lips shut
A dispute between two housemates in Japan allegedly took a disturbing turn when a 49-year-old woman was accused of sewing her housemate's lips together, leading to her arrest.
A 49-year-old woman in Japan has been arrested after sewing the lips of a woman she was living with, in an incident that has shocked local residents and prompted questions about the circumstances surrounding the case.
According to a report by the South China Morning Post (SCMP), Masae Sakurai, a part-time worker from Ibaraki Prefecture, northeast of Tokyo, was taken into custody on Monday on suspicion of causing injury to a 42-year-old woman at her home.
Police claimed that Sakurai used a needle and thread to sew the woman’s lips together on June 29. The victim, who had been living with Sakurai since around April 2025, later managed to escape and seek help.
The woman approached a nearby shop after fleeing the house and showed an employee a written note asking for assistance. The employee then contacted police at around 1:30pm on June 30.
According to police statements cited by SCMP, the woman told authorities that she had been “too scared to run away” before the alleged assault.
Authorities have not confirmed whether Sakurai has admitted to the allegations. Police are also investigating the possibility that other individuals may have been present at the house when the incident took place.
A 54-year-old acquaintance of Sakurai, who visited the residence in November, told reporters that he had seen several people living there, including “two or three women and a male around the age of a junior or senior high school student,” as reported by SCMP.
The case also received attention because of claims about Sakurai’s interactions with vulnerable individuals.
A former colleague of Sakurai told reporters that she learned around three years ago that Sakurai had been helping young women who had nowhere to go after contacting their families, according to the SCMP report.
The details of how the women came to live with Sakurai and the nature of their relationship remain under investigation.
Police have not released further information about the alleged motive behind the attack or whether additional arrests are expected.
The investigation continues as authorities work to establish what happened inside the home and whether anyone else was involved.
A 49-year-old woman in Japan has been arrested after sewing the lips of a woman she was living with, in an incident that has shocked local residents and prompted questions about the circumstances surrounding the case.
According to a report by the South China Morning Post (SCMP), Masae Sakurai, a part-time worker from Ibaraki Prefecture, northeast of Tokyo, was taken into custody on Monday on suspicion of causing injury to a 42-year-old woman at her home.
Police claimed that Sakurai used a needle and thread to sew the woman’s lips together on June 29. The victim, who had been living with Sakurai since around April 2025, later managed to escape and seek help.
The woman approached a nearby shop after fleeing the house and showed an employee a written note asking for assistance. The employee then contacted police at around 1:30pm on June 30.
According to police statements cited by SCMP, the woman told authorities that she had been “too scared to run away” before the alleged assault.
Authorities have not confirmed whether Sakurai has admitted to the allegations. Police are also investigating the possibility that other individuals may have been present at the house when the incident took place.
A 54-year-old acquaintance of Sakurai, who visited the residence in November, told reporters that he had seen several people living there, including “two or three women and a male around the age of a junior or senior high school student,” as reported by SCMP.
The case also received attention because of claims about Sakurai’s interactions with vulnerable individuals.
A former colleague of Sakurai told reporters that she learned around three years ago that Sakurai had been helping young women who had nowhere to go after contacting their families, according to the SCMP report.
The details of how the women came to live with Sakurai and the nature of their relationship remain under investigation.
Police have not released further information about the alleged motive behind the attack or whether additional arrests are expected.
The investigation continues as authorities work to establish what happened inside the home and whether anyone else was involved.
