By RYUJIRO KOMATSU/ Staff Writer
July 28, 2025 at 17:13 JST
Mayu Tomita shares her thoughts on July 21. A scar from the stabbing incident nine years ago remains on the back of her right hand. (Ryujiro Komatsu)
The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department has settled a lawsuit with a female musician who, despite asking the police for help, was stalked and eventually stabbed by a fan, sources say.
The woman filed a lawsuit against the Tokyo metropolitan government and other entities, claiming that the police did not handle her case properly, even though she had consulted them about her stalker before the stabbing incident occurred.
A settlement was reached at the Tokyo District Court on July 28, the plaintiff's lawyer said.
The incident occurred in May 2016 in Koganei, western Tokyo. Mayu Tomita, a musician, was 20 at the time.
She was seriously injured when a male fan stabbed her multiple times with a knife near a venue she was scheduled to perform at.
In 2019, Tomita and her mother filed a lawsuit seeking approximately 76 million yen ($514,500) in damages.
They argued that they had consulted with the Musashino Police Station about the man following Tomita before the incident occurred, but the police failed to take action to protect her.
In response, the Tokyo police argued that Tomita’s situation had not appeared life-threatening at the time of the consultation and that the case was handled appropriately.
According to Tomita's lawyer, a settlement was reached after the police agreed to make a consolation payment to her.
The specific amount of the payment has not been disclosed, however.
Tomita’s lawyer said, “It exceeds the usual amount, and we take this as a de facto acknowledgment by the police of the inadequacy of their response at the time.”
In the lawsuit, Tomita’s side pointed out the chief of Musashino station issued an apology about seven months after the incident.
They argued that “there was a failure in the police response and the chief acknowledged it.”
In court last October, Tomita testified, “I felt betrayed when I found out after the incident that the police hadn’t done anything despite my prior consultation.”
Tomita was also seeking damages from the man who stabbed her, who was sentenced to 14 years and six months in prison for attempted murder and other charges.
A ruling was issued by the district court on July 28 ordering the man to pay Tomita approximately 76 million yen.
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