How The Deaths Of Two Girls, Eight Years Apart, Uncovered Tokyo’s Worst Predator

True Crime Conversations · Apr 2, 2025 · 50m

Carita Ridgeway from Australia and Lucie Blackman from England arrived in Japan eight years apart, both working as hostesses, earning $150-$400 a night while entertaining wealthy businessmen. At 21, both planned to make money for world travel but encountered Joji Obara, a sadistic criminal mastermind. While there were hundreds of victims assaulted by Obara, they were the only ones known to have lost their lives. Clare Campbell’s book Tokyo Hostess: Inside the Shocking World of Tokyo Nightclub Hostessing explores their stories, the Japanese sex industry, and the serial rapist who sparked…