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Japan is safe. But those stories aren’t.
Japan OMG is a true-crime podcast that explores cases rarely covered in English-language headlines.
Season One goes beyond the crime—challenging what you think you know about human nature.
If you’re drawn to lesser-known stories from Japan—and to the complexity of people pushed beyond their limits—this podcast is for you.
New episode every Tuesday.
Follow Japan OMG to stay updated on the case.
Subscribe for more Japan true crime, psychological analysis, and real cases.
Instagram: @japanomglab
Link: linktr.ee/japanomg.lab
What if the darkest moments of your life began with something as simple as answering the phone? This series includes descriptions of violence, so please listen carefully. You are listening to Japan OMG. It was 2002, a beautiful springtime in Japan. Imagine this, you're 17.
Fabiano:For more than seven years, you've lived under someone else's rules until you finally seized a do or die opportunity and escaped. That's what the teenage girl did. For privacy reasons concerning the underage victim, we will refer to her as Girl A. Almost breathless. She kept running until she reached her grandfather's house before dawn.
Fabiano:For the first time in years, she felt free enough to speak. There, she broke down. She told her grandfather about the man who controlled her life and the woman stood beside him. That same day, Girl A and her grandfather went to the police and reported everything. Later that night, the police made their move.
Fabiano:They arrested two people, one man and one woman. To officers on the scene, the suspects look almost ordinary. The man appeared to be a polite, salaried worker. The woman looked like a typical housewife. By morning, both were in custody.
Fabiano:The police identified the man and woman as Matsuo and Junko. But who exactly was Matsuo and what was Junko doing with him? To understand how Junko reached this point, we need to go back to 1980, to the year of a phone call that changed everything. Junko was 21, shy, reserved, obedient. She worked at a kindergarten and still lived at home.
Fabiano:Her life followed a path drawn by her parents: be home by seven, avoid dating the wrong kind of man, marry someone appropriate, and eventually take over the family business. It was safe, predictable, and for Junko, quietly suffocating. Then one day the phone rang. On the other end was Matsuo, a senior from her old high school. He said he had been flipping through the school photo album, calling former schoolmates at random.
Fabiano:Matsuo told Janko that he was particularly interested in talking to her. Matsuo said it was Janko's lucky day. His voice was confident and smooth, someone who seemed to know exactly how to talk so that you'd want to keep listening. Matsuo kept calling. Each conversation lasted a little longer.
Fabiano:Each compliment felt a little more meaningful. At some point, the calls turned into a relationship. Now, they were dating. Matsuo became the spark in Junko's otherwise dull life. Soon, Junko learned that Matsuo was married.
Fabiano:For many people, that detail would have ended everything. But for Junko, that fact faded into the background. For someone who'd rarely been noticed, his attention felt new and irresistible. Matsuo's influence didn't stop with Junko. He would use the same charm on others.
Fabiano:In the next episode, we'll see how he used that charm spread and how trust itself became the foundation of something far darker. Thanks for listening. I'd love to hear your thoughts or comments. Remember to follow and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts. Catch you in the next episode.