Fusako Sano (佐野 房子[1], Sano Fusako, also known by the pseudonym Sachiko Yamada (山田 幸子[2], Yamada Sachiko)) (born November 28, 1980[1]) is a Japanese woman who was kidnapped at age nine by Nobuyuki Satō (佐藤 宣行, Satō Nobuyuki),[3] and held in captivity for nine years and two months from November 13, 1990, to January 28, 2000.
She had been kidnapped by Nobuyuki Satō (born July 15, 1962), then a 28-year-old mentally disturbed unemployed Japanese man, who forced her into his car, and subsequently held her in the upstairs floor of his apartment in a residential area of Kashiwazaki, Niigata Prefecture for nine years and two months.
Allegedly, Sato kept her tied up for several months and used a stun gun for punishments if she did not videotape horse races on television.
She spent most of her time in captivity listening to the radio, and reportedly was allowed to watch TV only in the last year of her ordeal.
Satō's mother lived downstairs and apparently had no contact with her son's captive since he became very violent whenever she tried to go upstairs.
However, police believe the mother must have had some knowledge of Sano's presence; for example, it was alleged that she purchased feminine hygiene products for the victim.
The mother of Nobuyuki Satō, then 73 years old, consulted the Kashiwazaki public health center in January 1996, because her son had been acting strangely and was violent to her.
Today, I went out for the first time.Upon her rescue Sano was found to be healthy, although extremely thin and weak due to lack of exercise: she could barely walk.
The local newspaper Echigo Times (越後タイムス) compared the incident to the Yotsuya ghost story, based on the address of Satō.
In the years following her release, Sano's physical health improved, and she now helps out in her family's rice paddy.
The prosecution's case included even minor charges against Satō (for example, shoplifting of women's underwear) with the goal of putting him in jail for as long as possible.