Uma Musume Composer Hidekazu Tanaka Pleads Guilty to Indecent Assault

Hidekazu Tanaka, the composer for series such as Uma Musume Pretty Derby and The Idolm@ster, pleaded guilty to several indecent crimes. He’d attempted to solicit sex from a 15-year-old girl. As well, the court found him guilty of exposing himself on trains and sneaking pictures of girls’ underwear. We do not yet know what his sentence will be. [Thanks, Livedoor!]

The incident that lead to Tanaka’s initial arrest took place in August 2022. He forcibly grabbed a girl in a bicycle parking area while saying “sexual things” at her. At the time, it was unclear how old she was, but it turns out she was 15. As a reminder, Tanaka was 35 at the time. He’d told her that he would give her money in exchange for sexual favors. From September to October 2022, Tanaka used his phone to take pictures of girls’ underwear from beneath their skirts at the JR Ebisu Station. He had also exposed his sexual organs in the train from JR Yurakucho Station to Tokyo Station.

During the preliminary trial, Tanaka pleaded guilty to all charges. He also explained that in the August 2022 case, he saw the girl and liked the way that she looked. He said he followed her onto a train and then attempted to solicit sex. In the case of sneaking pictures, he started doing so around ten years ago and had taken pictures “tens of times.” He apologized and stated that he wanted to experience the thrill of whether he would get caught. He also stated that it was a way to relieve work stress and daily frustrations.

Hidekazu Tanaka composed not only for Uma Musume Pretty Derby and The Idolm@ster, but he also worked on Aikatsu, Working!!!, and Servant x Service. He also composed and arranged a number of theme songs for various anime, including Pokemon Journeys and Koimonogatari.