Arab News Japan

DUBAI: Former Japanese lawmaker and YouTuber GaaSyy was sentenced to three years in prison, with a five-year suspension period, by the Tokyo District Court on Thursday for intimidating celebrities online. 

“Although the defendant argues his actions were carried out with a sense of justice, the threats were made for the purpose of making money through distributing videos,” Presiding Judge SAEKI Koji said regarding the ruling.

The 52-year-old, whose real name is Yoshikazu Higashitani, has intimidated various actors, including 42-year-old Japanese actor Go Ayano, as well as three other individuals, from Feb. to Sep. 2022. He released multiple videos during that period on his YouTube channel, saying he would expose secrets about them. 

The former lawmaker was also accused of threatening Ayano and another individual in Feb. 2023 to drop the charges against him. He shared videos on social media, saying he would never forgive them. 

In Sept. 2023, GaaSyy admitted to threatening the celebrities during his first trial hearing, saying he was “sorry for the victims.” His prosecutors said that the YouTuber was thinking of ways to take revenge against them after they distanced themselves from GaaSyy following fraud allegations.

The ex-lawmaker’s lawyer said during the trail hearing in 2023 that he is not a “habitual” intimidator. 

The YouTuber was put on an international wanted list as he escaped to the United Arab Emirates. In May 2023, the Tokyo police sent investigators to the UAE to ask local authorities for his early extradition. He was arrested on June 4, 2023, upon his arrival in Japan.

Prior to becoming a YouTuber, GaaSyy was elected on the ticket of a minor opposition party under the proportional representation system in July 2022. He was expelled from the House of Councillors in 2023 for not attending any parliamentary sessions.