KOGA, Japan – A 49-year-old woman has been arrested in Japan after allegedly sewing her housemate’s lips together with a needle and thread following a domestic dispute.
Masae Sakurai (49) was taken into custody on Monday on suspicion of assault after the incident that occurred on 29 June at a residence in Koga city, located in Ibaraki prefecture east of Tokyo.
The victim (42) managed to escape the house and ran to a nearby shop where she held up a piece of paper reading “please help me”, according to Makoto Hiyama, a senior local police official.
Police responded to the scene and later arrested Sakurai at the residence where both women lived together.
According to the Ibaraki prefectural police spokesman, the suspect allegedly used a needle and thread to sew the victim’s lips shut during the incident.
The injured woman told investigators that “the suspect became angry over a trouble and my lips were sewed”, Japanese public broadcaster NHK reported.
Police are continuing their investigation into the circumstances surrounding the assault. Authorities are also looking into unconfirmed information that a third person may have been living at the house at the time of the incident, Hiyama said.
The victim received medical treatment following the ordeal. No further details about her condition have been released.
Assault charges in Japan can carry penalties including imprisonment with labour for up to two years or a fine of up to 300 000 yen (about R30 200).
