Students who formed university club 'to target and molest women' convicted of sexual assault

One man reportedly told the court he saw women as fair targets for sexual assault as he considered female students 'intellectually inferior'

The University of Tokyo (Wikipedia)

University students who founded a club for sexually assaulting women have been convicted of sexual assault, it has been reported.

Kensuke Matsumi, a 22-year-old student at the University of Tokyo, co-founded ‘The University of Tokyo Birthday Research Group’ along with male students, The Japan Times reports. The aim of the group was to conspire to intoxicate female students and then sexually assault them as a gang.

Tokyo District Court heard that in April, Mr Matsumi and other male classmates committed a sexual assault on a female student. The men reportedly deliberately got the young woman intoxicated, before forcibly undressing her and groping her body. Mr Matsumi was accused of beating the woman, blowing hot air on her genitals with a hairdryer and pouring a cup of hot ramen noodles on to her breasts.

He reportedly told the court he looked down on female students at other universities as “intellectually inferior” and therefore acceptable targets for sexual assault.

He was found guilty and sentenced to two years in prison suspended for four years

Judge Hajime Shimada reportedly told the court the crime deserved condemnation as it had disrespected the woman. However the judge reportedly gave Mr Matsumi a suspended sentence because the student had expressed regret and the judge therefore felt rehabilitation was a possibility.

Another man, Taichi Komoto, was convicted earlier this week of participating in the attack. He also received a suspended sentence.

A third man is standing trial in relation to the incident.