TOKYO - At the age of 20 on May 21, 2016, Mayu Tomita, a third-year university student engaged in amateur musical pursuits, was caught off g...
TOKYO - At the age of 20 on May 21, 2016, Mayu Tomita, a third-year university student engaged in amateur musical pursuits, was caught off guard by a fan who had become an obsessive stalker outside a small music venue in Koganei, located in western Tokyo. She was scheduled to perform with other vocalists later that evening.
Tomita suffered multiple stab wounds in a violent attack and was in a life-threatening state. She mentioned that the suspect, who was taken into custody on the spot, shouted, "Die, die, die!" throughout the incident.
Fortunately, Tomita did not suffer any harm to her essential organs. She remained in a coma for approximately two weeks following stab injuries to her face, neck, chest, back, and arms.
Tomita can only characterize the nine years following the attack as "bitter and painful."
In an unpublished memoir she provided to Kyodo News, Tomita discusses her ongoing post-traumatic stress disorder—a condition that causes flashbacks even when the attacker's name is mentioned. Because of this, the perpetrator's name, as seen in Tomita's memoir, is not included in this article.
However, Tomita has also bravely addressed the responsibility of the Tokyo police and others for not stopping the violent incident, in a civil case that ended on July 28 this year. She hopes this will assist other stalking victims from experiencing the same outcome as her, or even more severe consequences.
Twelve days prior to the attack, Tomita went to a police station in Musashino city, located in western Tokyo, to express her fear caused by the stalker's unwanted presents and aggressive messages, including threats of death, through social media.
He started contacting Tomita via messages in June 2014 and would follow her following her performances. He sent roughly 400 messages to her Twitter account and her blog.
Nevertheless, the police officers considered the situation "not urgent" and did not inform the Metropolitan Police Department headquarters' specialized harassment unit.
As per documents from the Tokyo District Court, the stalker carried out the planned assault because Tomita did not provide him with a definitive explanation for returning his gifts.
Following the attack, the MPD issued an investigation report stating that "it should have recognized that immediate safety actions were required." It denied being aware of her assertions that Tomita felt "in danger of being killed by the man."
The MPD extended a superficial apology.
In July 2019, Tomita and her mother initiated a legal action against the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and her previous talent agency, claiming that the MPD failed in its responsibilities, including not adequately monitoring the area near the performance venue.
In her autobiography, Tomita outlines a police department that never planned to acknowledge any wrongdoing from the beginning. Rather than receiving the truth, Tomita claims she was left with only uncertainties following the trial.
"This was my most powerful impression during the six-year trial. The insincere replies that were received through written communication. The made-up stories in court, where they vowed to speak the truth, yet acted as if they were honest," she writes.
However, she mentioned that what was particularly upsetting was the indifferent way she was treated by the police during a court cross-examination. She had vivid flashbacks of the event when a police officer showed her a newspaper article containing the suspect's photograph.
It was as if the criminal had reappeared in front of me, holding a knife. I felt as though my heart was being torn apart. In that instant, I understood that the police officers did not grasp my pain—they weren’t even making an effort to understand it.
The conditions set by the judge involved clauses requiring the MPD to apologize for the incident, genuinely engage with the victim, and enhance efforts to avoid such occurrences. The terms also mentioned that "(The MPD) should work towards implementing suitable actions in line with current standards, considering the public's viewpoint."
The sum of the settlement remained undisclosed by the Tokyo District Court, although Tomita's attorney, Masato Takahashi, stated, "it was an amount reflecting the Metropolitan Police Department's acknowledgment of wrongdoing."
Takahashi added, "In essence, the court criticized the police's approach to stalking as not matching the public's viewpoint and being obsolete. It is uncommon for a court to create settlement conditions that extend this far."
Trying to put an end to stalking offenses and avoid more pain, while conveying her feelings about the lingering fear, Tomita spent several consecutive days writing her autobiography.
In a particular passage, she states, "For nine years following the event, I have struggled to perform various tasks because of PTSD and its consequences, spending the majority of my time at home. I am no longer able to sleep. I can't venture out by myself. I can't use public transport such as trains. It's heartbreaking and exasperating."
On February 28, 2017, the individual who carried out the attack received a prison sentence of 14 years and 6 months for his actions. This outcome has offered little comfort to Tomita.
"Even today, random triggers cause me to relive the moment I was stabbed as the attacker yelled, 'Die, die!' As May 21st, the day of the incident, draws near, I become anxious, fearing the perpetrator might return to kill me once more. The worry that he could be released from prison never goes away," she writes.
The more I attempt to progress, longing to go back to my previous life, the clearer the harsh truth becomes: I have to reside in the world where the event took place. Even once the incident is over, the feeling of being a victim continues.
The attack on Tomita was one of many stalking-related incidents in Japan that gained significant public attention starting in 1999, when Shiori Ino, a university student, was killed by a hired killer acting on behalf of her ex-boyfriend in Okegawa, Saitama Prefecture, close to Tokyo, even though she had reported the issue to the police.
Numerous cases of murder by stalking occurred afterward, such as events in Mitaka, western Tokyo, in 2013 and in Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, near Tokyo, in 2025. In most instances, the police reactions to victims' reports were scrutinized by the media.
The attack on Tomita prompted the National Diet to update its anti-stalking legislation in December 2016, incorporating provisions against online harassment and cyberstalking through social media platforms to enhance victim protection.
The legislation now encompasses a wider variety of behaviors that induce fear, worry, or greatly limit personal freedom, allowing officials to take action even in the absence of an official report from those being harassed.
Tomita emphasizes that individuals who are being stalked and approach the police should have confidence that the officials will treat the threats with the seriousness they deserve and provide the suitable reaction for those seeking assistance.
"Over the past nine years, incidents of stalking have kept happening without any stop. Each time I hear about them in the news, I feel sorrow and frustration...Please keep this in mind repeatedly, so that the promise to me doesn't turn into just a formal gesture," she writes to the police.
While engaging with the police victim assistance office after her attack, she discovered that there are other officers who truly care and provide support.
Tomita's aspiration is that, through her autobiography, numerous individuals, especially law enforcement, will gain insight into the challenges of continuing life following such a brutal incident. In the most severe situations, people may never have the opportunity to do so again.
"(Police) please keep in mind that the distinction between being rescued or not can significantly impact a person's entire life," she writes.
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