Fusako Sano - Discovery

Discovery

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. She called again on January 12, 2000, and again on January 19, requesting a visit to her home. Officials finally visited the home on Friday, January 28, 2000. Subsequently, Satō caused a disturbance that resulted in police being called to the scene. On this occasion, Sano, by then 19 years old, approached the officers and identified herself. She reportedly said:

"I was abducted near the school by a man who forced me into a car. For nine years, I did not take a step out of the house. 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. She was also dehydrated. Due to the lack of exposure to sunlight, she also had a very light skin tone and suffered from jaundice. While her body was that of a 19 year old woman, mentally she acted like a child. She also suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder.

Soon after her release, Sano was reunited with her family. Her mother did not initially recognize her, since she had last seen her at age 9.

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.