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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
The trial for the seven deaths concluded the case. But many other victims never saw their day in court. This series includes descriptions of violence. So, please listen with care. You are listening to Japan OMG.
Fabiano:The murder of seven people has been officially recorded, tried and judged. That part of the story is closed. But some voices never reached the courtroom. While hiding from the police, Matsuo and Junko needed money. Fraud and extortion were Matsuo's specialties.
Fabiano:His targets were primarily women. Matsuo and Junko posed as private detectives. They offered affair investigations for wives who suspected their husbands of cheating. Women called hoping for answers. Instead, they stepped into Matsuo's world.
Fabiano:These women weren't thrill seekers. They were ordinary wives, women living with quiet disappointments, a husband who was too busy, too tired, too distant. Small cracks in everyday life. Taken to anyone else, those cracks might have healed. Taken to Matsuo?
Fabiano:He poured gasoline on them. He exaggerated, turning irritation into despair. He told them their marriages were dead, that they deserved better futures, better men. Men like him. For each woman, he created a role.
Fabiano:Sometimes a polished Tokyo University graduate. Sometimes a respected Kyoto businessman. Always believable, always trustworthy, always shaped to match what that particular woman most wanted or needed to see. Once trust was established, the cycle of manipulation began. He borrowed money.
Fabiano:He booked hotels and rented apartments in their names. He drained their credit. And when their financial usefulness ended, intimidation took over. Sometimes he used their children as leverage. Sometimes he locked the women away to keep them silent.
Fabiano:Matsuo's history of violence against women stretched back many years. The warning signs were evident even before Junko became part of his life. His first wife endured years of domestic abuse. She escaped only with the help of a restraining order, a rare success. The pattern remained consistent: trust, isolation, control, financial exploitation and abuse.
Fabiano:Some women disappeared. Some died under suspicious circumstances. Others broke down entirely and ended up in psychiatric hospitals. By the time Matsuo and Junko were arrested, the statute of limitations had already expired for some of these offenses. That meant many cases never became formal charges.
Fabiano:These women's cases were examined in court. Evidence was limited. Time had run out. Some survivors were simply too afraid to testify, afraid of reliving their trauma in a public courtroom. So, we are left with questions that don't have simple, clear answers.
Fabiano:Why did Matsu act with such cruelty? People who knew him say he had always been that way: a bully in high school. At the Futon Company, the violence he inflicted on employees was not only about control. It was also entertainment. Once someone no longer served a purpose, their only remaining value was the amusement Matsuo could get from hurting them.
Fabiano:Why did Junko, once a quiet kindergarten teacher, become his accomplice? Her transformation was gradual. Matsuo cut her off from friends, family and money, leaving her with his voice as her only influence. She was driven by fear and guilt and by the belief that obedience might protect someone else. Over time, survival and complicity blurred together.
Fabiano:Why did Jungkook's proud traditional family surrender and ultimately destroy itself? For them, shame outweighed fear. Matsuo exploited this, convincing them that hiding their daughter's crimes was necessary to protect the family's reputation. In a culture where reputation often feels like survival, this illusion was powerful. By the time they realized the truth, it was too late.
Fabiano:If Matsuo had never dialed Junko's number in 1980, if at that moment she had not answered the phone, she might have lived an ordinary life, a kindergarten teacher, unknown to anyone living quietly. Her family might still be alive. And yet, if it hadn't been Junko, it would likely have been someone else. Another woman. Another family.
Fabiano:That possibility cannot be denied. Thanks for listening. If you've made it this far, I appreciate your time and attention. Take care of yourself, especially after heavy stories like this. And if you'd like to hear more lesser known stories from Japan, make sure you follow and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts.
Fabiano:See you next season.