2 Men Suspected of Sexually Assaulting Woman in Tokyo; Allegedly Claimed to be Water Inspectors to Enter Home

The Yomiuri Shimbun

15:29 JST, July 1, 2025

Two men have been arrested on suspicion of sexually assaulting a woman after gaining access to her home in Tokyo by pretending to be water meter inspectors, according to sources close to investigators.

The suspects are Retsu Matsuda, 27, from Ehime Prefecture and Raiya Yamamoto, 25, with no fixed address. The occupations of both men are unknown.

The Metropolitan Police Department suspects that Matsuda advertised for someone to do a “dark part-time job.” Yamamoto responded and Matsuda had him attack the woman in her 20s, who is an acquaintance of Matsuda’s.

According to the sources, the two men are suspected of entering the woman’s residence in Itabashi Ward, Tokyo, at about 12:30 a.m. on June 2, saying they needed to perform an inspection because there appeared to be a water leak. They are suspected of then sexually assaulting her.

Yamamoto is also suspected of stealing ¥10,000 in cash from the woman’s purse.

Yamamoto was arrested on June 13, and Matsuda was arrested on Monday. Matsuda told investigators he had nothing to say, while Yamamoto has admitted to the charges. “I did it because I was promised money,” Yamamoto was quoted as saying.

In late May, Matsuda posted on an online message board that he wanted to recruit someone who would attack a woman. Yamamoto contacted him, and Matsuda gave him the woman’s address and told Yamamoto to pretend to be a water meter inspector.

The case came to light after the woman consulted a man she knows and that man contacted the police. Yamamoto and Matsuda became suspects after police checked security camera footage and other evidence.