Episode 33: Sasebo Schoolgirl Murder 2014

Black Torii — Japanese True Crime · Aug 3, 2026 · 11m

There's a city in western Japan, a port town called Sasebo. About two hundred and fifty thousand people live there. It's a quiet place — a naval base, some fishing boats, mountains behind it and the sea in front. In 2004, a twelve-year-old girl in Sasebo lured a classmate into a restroom and slit her throat with a box cutter. Japan was shaken to its core. It was the worst crime of its kind anyone could remember. And it happened in Sasebo. Ten years later — almost to the day — another girl in Sasebo killed another classmate. The same city. Two generations of schoolgirls. And this time, what…