The Tsuyama Massacre, also known as the Tsuyama Incident or the Mutsuo Toi Incident, was a horrific mass murder that occurred in the early hours of May 21, 1938, in the rural village of Kamo Town, Okayama Prefecture, Japan. Twenty-one-year-old Mutsuo Toi (都井 睦雄) killed thirty villagers and injured three others using a Browning Auto-5 shotgun, a Japanese sword, and an axe. The incident took place in eleven different households within the Kai'o and Sakamoto hamlets of Nishikamo Village (now part of Tsuyama City).
Mutsuo Toi was born on March 5, 1917. His early life was marked by tragedy, as he lost his parents and grandfather to tuberculosis between 1918 and 1919. He was subsequently raised by his grandmother. Due to the prevalence of tuberculosis in his family, they were stigmatized in the community. Although Toi inherited some land and a house, he was not chosen to succeed the head of the extended family. Despite being barred from strenuous farm work due to pleurisy after graduating elementary school, his academic records indicated he was a diligent and well-behaved student.
In 1937, Toi failed his conscription exam due to tuberculosis. Around this time, he experienced rejection from women he had relationships with, citing his health condition as a reason. This, coupled with negative rumors, fueled his resentment towards the community. Toi obtained a hunting license and purchased a shotgun, later upgrading to a more powerful Browning Auto-5. He practiced shooting frequently and became a source of unease for his neighbors. He was temporarily disarmed after his grandmother accused him of poisoning her, but he managed to reacquire weapons through acquaintances and a sword collector.
In the days leading up to the massacre, Toi prepared meticulously. He wrote long suicide notes addressed to his sister and others. He even cycled to a neighboring town's police station to gauge the time it would take for help to arrive. On the evening of May 20, Toi cut the power lines, plunging the Kai'o hamlet into darkness. At around 1:40 AM on May 21, dressed in a student uniform with leggings and Japanese tabi socks, a headband, two small flashlights attached to his head, a national lamp around his neck, a Japanese sword and two daggers at his waist, and a modified Browning Auto-5 in his hands, he began his rampage.
Over the next hour and a half, Toi systematically attacked his neighbors. He started by killing his sleeping grandmother with an axe. He then moved through the hamlets, breaking into eleven homes and shooting or stabbing the residents. The victims included men, women, and children, with the youngest being only five years old. In some cases, entire families were wiped out. Some villagers survived by hiding or being absent that night. Notably, Toi spared one man who pleaded for his life and another elderly man who he claimed had never spoken ill of him.
After the killings, Toi walked 3.5 kilometers to a mountain pass called Sennonojo (仙の城), where he wrote more suicide notes and then shot himself in the heart with his shotgun. His body was discovered the following morning during a manhunt.
In his suicide notes, Toi expressed remorse for killing his grandmother but stated he did it out of consideration for her future hardships. He also lamented his suffering from illness and social ostracism. He mentioned that his decision to commit the massacre on that particular day was triggered by the return of a woman he had a past relationship with to her family home in the village, as well as the presence of another woman named Nishiyama Yoshiko. However, the woman he mentioned managed to escape, and a neighbor who sought refuge in her house was killed instead.
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Here is a 500-word summary of Mamoru Takuma's life and the Ikeda Elementary School incident, based on the provided sources:
Mamoru Takuma (宅間守, 1963-2004) was a Japanese mass murderer responsible for the 附属池田小事件 (Ikeda Elementary School incident) on June 8, 2001, where he fatally stabbed eight children and injured fifteen others (thirteen children and two teachers). He was arrested at the scene and subsequently sentenced to death on August 28, 2003, by the Osaka District Court. Takuma waived his right to appeal, and the death sentence was finalized on September 26, 2003. He was executed by hanging at the Osaka Detention House on September 14, 2004.
Takuma's early life was marked by violent and problematic behavior. He was described as a rebellious child who engaged in animal cruelty, bullying, and disruptive acts. He harbored a strong envy and resentment towards those with higher education and income. Despite aspirations of becoming a pilot, he was assigned to aircraft maintenance in the Japan Air Self-Defense Force due to poor eyesight and was discharged after about a year for housing a runaway girl and engaging in sexual intercourse with her.
Following his discharge in 1983, Takuma held numerous short-term jobs, frequently resorting to violence, aggression, and reckless behavior, including reverse driving on highways. His criminal history began with a forcible rape incident in 1984, for which he was eventually convicted and served three years in prison. To avoid investigation for this crime, he feigned mental illness, leading to an initial misdiagnosis of anxiety neurosis, later changed to schizophrenia. He was released from prison in 1989 and reportedly caused two fatal traffic accidents while working as a truck driver, neither of which resulted in legal repercussions.
Takuma had four marriages, all ending in divorce, often due to his violent behavior and lies. In 1999, while working as a janitor at Ikeda Elementary School's sister school, Ikajiri Elementary School, he mixed tranquilizers into the tea of teachers, resulting in their hospitalization. He was arrested for this incident but was not prosecuted, deemed not criminally responsible. He was subsequently dismissed and involuntarily hospitalized in a psychiatric hospital. Prior to the Ikeda Elementary School incident, he was also arrested for assault and property damage.
Leading up to the 2001 attack, Takuma continued to display aggressive behavior, including spitting at people and damaging property, leading to his dismissal from another job and complaints from his neighbors. His motive for the mass killing was described as hatred towards society and a desire to vent his frustrations. He reportedly told investigators that he felt like "everything was annoying".
During his trial, Takuma was often disruptive . Despite initially asking his lawyers not to appeal a death sentence, they did so against his wishes, only for Takuma to withdraw the appeal, ensuring his death sentence became final. He expressed a desire for his execution to occur within six months and even considered suing the state if it took longer.
After his death sentence was finalized, Takuma married a female supporter in prison. He was executed less than a year later, an exceptionally swift execution compared to the typical timeframe in Japan at the time. His final words conveyed gratitude, but he never apologized to the victims or their families. His family background was marked by dysfunction, with a violent father and a neglectful mother, and his older brother committed suicide in 1999.
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This is a summary in English of approximately 500 words about the "女性連続毒殺魔事件" (Women's Serial Poisoning Murders) based on the provided Japanese Wikipedia excerpts.
The "女性連続毒殺魔事件" (Women's Serial Poisoning Murders) was a series of money-motivated poisonings that occurred in Kumamoto City, Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan, from November to December 1960. In this incident, three women were killed, and one was left in a vegetative state due to poisoning. Both the perpetrator and the victims were all female.
The perpetrator, identified as S, was reportedly facing financial difficulties with debts of around 160,000 yen. Driven by the need to repay these debts, S committed the series of crimes.
The first incident took place on November 6, 1960, when S's mother-in-law visited her home. S poisoned her mother-in-law by mixing pesticide into her favorite lactic acid drink, leading to her death. Although S searched the deceased's belongings for cash, she found none, and the initial attempt to resolve her financial issues failed. The cause of death was initially diagnosed as a stroke, and the crime went undetected.
In December, S planned to kill a neighbor's wife to steal her money. On December 14, S visited the neighbor's house and poisoned her by feeding her horse meat laced with pesticide. Again, the victim had no cash on her person, resulting in another failed attempt to obtain money. Similar to the first victim, the neighbor's death was attributed to a stroke, and the crime remained undiscovered.
On December 17, around noon, S targeted a familiar traveling vendor, giving her miso soup containing pesticide. The vendor did not die, possibly due to a smaller dosage of poison, but was left in a vegetative state. In this instance, S managed to steal 13,500 yen.
On December 28, S murdered another traveling vendor by feeding her natto (fermented soybeans) mixed with pesticide, stealing a meager 15 yen.
The series of crimes came to an end on December 29, when S was apprehended at Kawashiri Station on the Kagoshima Main Line of the Japanese National Railways (now JR Kyushu). A search of S's home by the police revealed high concentrations of pesticide in the natto and miso soup found in her kitchen. Furthermore, a forensic autopsy of the victims detected the presence of organophosphates. Following the investigation, S confessed to her involvement in all four incidents.
S's death sentence was finalized on March 28, 1963, and she was executed on September 19, 1970, at the Fukuoka Detention House. She became the second woman executed in post-war Japan after the "Sugano Village Robbery and Arson Case" convict whose sentence was later commuted to life imprisonment through amnesty. In terms of execution order, she was the second after the convict in the "Hotel Nihonkaku Murder Case" (finalized in 1963).
The Wikipedia page also lists related books, including "毒殺" (Dokusatsu - Poisoning) by Masahiko Ueno. It also includes links to categories related to death row inmates, executioners, capital punishment, criminal procedure, and the history of capital punishment in Japan and other countries. The article indicates a need for specific page or chapter citations for the information provided. The categories associated with the article include post-war Showa era murder incidents, Japanese incidents in 1960, Japanese robbery incidents, female serial killers, Japanese serial murder incidents, cases involving poison, the history of Kumamoto City, incidents in November and December 1960, finalized death penalty cases in Japan, and post-war Kumamoto.
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Yoshie Shiratori (1907-1979) was a Japanese former prisoner known as "The Houdini of Showa" for his multiple escapes from prison during World War II. He was also described by guards as "a man who swept through an era". Shiratori executed four escapes over 26 years of imprisonment, totaling three years on the run.
Born in Aomori Prefecture, Shiratori became involved in crime and was imprisoned in 1933 for robbery and murder.
His first escape occurred in Aomori Prison in 1936. Protesting poor treatment, he was placed in solitary confinement. He fashioned a homemade key from a hoop of a wooden bucket, unlocked his cell, and escaped. However, he surrendered the next day. Motivated by revenge against mistreating guards, the charge of escape was added, resulting in a life sentence.
In October 1941, Shiratori was transferred to Akita Prison. Due to his escape history, he was placed in a special cell with a high ceiling and a skylight. Denied warmer clothing in the extreme cold, he decided to escape. He noticed the corroded nails in the skylight. Using a piece of tin from the window frame and an old nail, he created a makeshift saw to cut around the bars. In June 1942, during a storm, he removed the bars and escaped through the skylight. He surrendered three months later at Kosuge Prison.
His prison term was extended, and he was transferred to Abashiri Prison. Placed in a special cell for heinous criminals, he endured abuse, including being forced to wear inappropriate clothing and being almost constantly shackled, leading to maggot infestations. Resolving to escape, he spent a year spraying miso soup onto his handcuffs and the inspection port nails, corroding them with the salt. He removed the nails, dislocated his joints, broke the cell's skylight with his head, and pulled out the chimney, escaping on August 26, 1944.
After the war, he was mistaken for a thief and killed farmers in self-defense, leading to a death sentence from the Sapporo District Court. He then decided to escape from Sapporo Prison. Despite being in a highly secured cell and monitored by six guards, he created a saw from a concealed piece of metal and cut through the floorboards. Using a piece of tableware, he dug a tunnel and escaped in March 1947.
His final capture occurred when a police officer offered him a cigarette. Touched by this kindness, Shiratori confessed. He stated he had been treated inhumanely in other prisons, and this act of kindness moved him. His trial was reopened, and his sentence was reduced to 20 years. In Fuchu Prison, he was treated as a regular inmate and was paroled in 1961. He died of a heart attack in 1979 at the age of 71.
Guards reportedly wished Shiratori would escape when they were off duty to avoid punishment. Wartime conditions, including a shortage of guards and poor-quality handcuffs, likely contributed to his escapes.
Shiratori possessed extraordinary physical abilities, including being able to easily dislocate his joints and having immense strength. He was an undefeated sumo champion in Fuchu Prison.
His life inspired the novel "Hagoku" (Breakout) by Akira Yoshimura, which was adapted into television dramas. The Abashiri Prison Museum features a recreation of his escape. He is also a likely model for a character in the manga "Golden Kamuy". His story is featured in books and even English language learning materials.
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The Carbine Rifle Gang Incident, which occurred in June 1954, stands as a significant example of post-war crime in Japan, reflecting the societal challenges during the nation's reconstruction period. This case involved a meticulously planned armed robbery and kidnapping, executed by a group of former military personnel.
On June 13, 1954, a group of armed individuals abducted a married couple, with the husband serving as the accounting section chief at the Maritime Safety Agency's Technical Research Institute. The assailants, wielding modified M1 carbines with shortened stocks for concealment, threatened the couple and confined them in the home of the gang leader's brother in Yotsuya, Shinjuku Ward. The following day, June 14, they coerced the accounting chief into issuing seven checks totaling 17.5 million yen. The gang successfully cashed approximately 950,000 yen at the Kawasaki branch of Yokohama Kogin Bank.
On June 16, the captors relocated the couple to a different hideout in Nishi-Ogikubo. While attempting to cash the remaining checks, the accounting chief managed to escape during a stop at a Nippon Express office in Yurakucho, where he sought help from a nearby police box. This led to the exposure of the crime. Based on the victims' testimonies and the modus operandi, the police identified K. O., a former member of the Maritime Safety Agency with a prior robbery conviction, as the prime suspect and issued a nationwide warrant for his arrest.
The investigation progressed rapidly. On June 22, K. O. and an accomplice were apprehended in Toyama City. Another accomplice was arrested on July 5 in a hotel in Asakusa, Tokyo. A fourth member, who had been with the recently arrested accomplice, surrendered to the Marunouchi Police Station shortly thereafter. K. O. had been on the run with his lover, a former Toei actress and runner-up in the Miss Ginza contest. They were eventually located on July 21 in a rented room at Sumiyoshiya in Yufuin Village, Oita Prefecture, near K. O.'s hometown. The carbine rifle used in the crime was discovered at Nobeoka Station, concealed within a futon bundle among railway luggage.
In addition to the robbery and kidnapping charges, K. O. was indicted for the murder of a former company president in Atami City. In June 1958, the Tokyo District Court sentenced him to death. However, upon appeal, the Tokyo High Court commuted his sentence to life imprisonment. K. O. eventually withdrew his final appeal and accepted the life sentence. After serving 25 years, he was granted parole in 1978.
Following his release, K. O. authored several books under his real name. In 1980, he published "Farewell, My Friends: True Stories of Notorious Death Row Inmates," detailing his experiences with fellow inmates during his incarceration. This work was later adapted into a film. In 1983, he released a two-volume autobiography titled "The Road to the Gallows," offering a personal account of his life and crimes.
The Carbine Rifle Gang Incident left a significant mark on Japanese society, highlighting the challenges of post-war reconstruction and the complexities of criminal rehabilitation. It also inspired cinematic portrayals, such as the semi-documentary film "The Terror of the Carbine Rifle," released shortly after the incident, and "Farewell, My Friends," which depicted K. O.'s life and interactions with other death row inmates.
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The Bar Mecca Murder Case, which occurred in July 1953 in Tokyo's Shimbashi district, became emblematic of postwar "après-guerre" crimes, reflecting the moral decline among Japan's youth following World War II. On July 27, 1953, patrons at Bar Mecca noticed blood dripping from the ceiling. Upon investigation, the bludgeoned body of a 40-year-old securities broker was discovered in the attic, with ¥410,000 missing from his belongings. The primary suspect, 24-year-old Akira Shoda, a former securities company employee, was identified alongside two accomplices: a 20-year-old bar employee and a 22-year-old associate. Shoda was apprehended in Kyoto on October 12, 1953, after a nationwide manhunt. He confessed to the crime, citing financial desperation due to misappropriated funds from unauthorized stock sales. In 1956, the Tokyo District Court sentenced Shoda to death, the bar employee to 10 years in prison, and the associate to 5 years. Shoda appealed the verdict, but the Tokyo High Court rejected the appeal in 1960, and the Supreme Court upheld the decision in 1963. Shoda was executed on December 9, 1969, at the age of 40. Shoda, a Keio University graduate, was portrayed by the media as a symbol of the declining moral standards among the educated youth. His indulgence in nightlife and substance abuse highlighted the societal issues of the time. During his incarceration, Shoda took up writing novels, but his lack of remorse and failure to apologize to the victim's family influenced the severity of his sentence.
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Akito Shima (real name Satoru Nakamura, 1934-1967) was a Japanese man executed for committing robbery and murder in Niigata Prefecture. Born into hardship, marked by his father's post-war purge, his mother's death from illness and malnutrition, and his own chronic health problems including tuberculosis and Pott's disease, Shima had a difficult youth involving poor academic performance and juvenile delinquency.
His early adulthood included time in a reformatory, further imprisonment for arson (committed seemingly to gain shelter), and a diagnosis of "hysterical personality disorder" followed by psychiatric hospitalization. In 1959, while homeless and starving, he broke into a farmhouse. When discovered, he tied up the family of four, stole money and goods, seriously injured the husband, and murdered the wife.
Sentenced to death in 1960, his appeals were rejected, and the sentence was confirmed in 1962. During his seven years on death row leading up to his execution in 1967, Shima became a noted tanka poet, writing prolifically about his experiences and even winning the prestigious Mainichi Kadan Award in 1963. He remains known for this stark contrast between his violent crime and his later artistic expression.
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The Paris Cannibal Case refers to a gruesome murder that occurred on June 11, 1981, in France. The perpetrator was Issei Sagawa, a 32-year-old Japanese exchange student who killed, sexually violated, and cannibalized a 25-year-old Dutch female student who was his friend.
On that day, Sagawa invited the Dutch woman to his apartment in Paris where he shot her from behind with a carbine rifle. After her death, he removed her clothing and engaged in necrophilia. He then partially consumed her flesh raw, dismembered her body, photographed it, and cooked portions of her remains in a frying pan before eating them.
Two days later, on June 13, Sagawa attempted to dispose of the remaining body parts by placing them in a suitcase and trying to dump them in a pond in the Boulogne Forest. Witnesses observed this suspicious activity, causing him to flee. These witnesses discovered human remains in the suitcase and contacted police, leading to Sagawa's arrest two days after his attempted disposal.
Prior to this incident, Sagawa had attacked a German woman in Japan with cannibalistic intent and was arrested. However, the charges were dropped after his father paid a settlement to the victim. Sagawa himself claimed that his cannibalistic urges began in childhood.
In the French legal proceedings, Sagawa confessed to the crime but was found not guilty by reason of insanity. He was deemed to have been in a state of diminished mental capacity during the murder and was committed to a psychiatric institution in France rather than being prosecuted. The following year, he returned to Japan and spent one year at Tokyo Metropolitan Matsuzawa Hospital.
Interestingly, the Japanese medical assessment contradicted the French diagnosis. Japanese doctors concluded that Sagawa did not actually have cannibalistic tendencies and had deceived French authorities. Dr. Kaneko, then vice-director of the hospital, determined that Sagawa suffered from a personality disorder rather than a mental illness and should have been held criminally responsible. He suggested that French medical professionals might have misdiagnosed an intestinal inflammation that Sagawa had at age one as encephalitis, leading to their incorrect assessment.
Japanese police shared this view and planned to arrest Sagawa for a new trial. However, these efforts were thwarted when French authorities refused to share their investigation materials related to a case that had been dismissed.
This case highlights significant differences between French and Japanese approaches to criminal psychology and legal proceedings, raising important questions about cross-border justice and the assessment of mental illness in criminal cases.
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The Fukuoka Serial Robbery-Murder Case of 1951 involved two individuals: Sōkichi Furuya, 37, and his accomplice, Noboru Sakamoto, 19. Sakamoto, originally from Manchuria, faced significant hardships after World War II, including the loss of his parents and the responsibility of caring for his younger siblings. In his quest for employment to support his family, he encountered Furuya in Fukuoka. Furuya offered assistance in finding work, but instead, they conspired to commit robberies.
On May 15, 1951, they targeted a 40-year-old man known to Furuya for having some savings. Furuya lured the victim under the pretense of a police investigation, leading him to a barley field near Hakata Station. When the victim attempted to escape, Sakamoto strangled him with a scarf, and Furuya followed with a waist cord, resulting in the man's death. They stole 8,600 yen from the victim.
Three weeks later, on June 3, in Yahata City (now Kitakyushu), they broke into a 70-year-old man's home intending to steal. Upon the homeowner's return, a struggle ensued. Sakamoto and Furuya strangled the man, killing him, and stole 250 yen, clothing, a watch, and rice.
Both crime scenes were in secluded areas, lacking witnesses or physical evidence. Eventually, both perpetrators were apprehended. Sakamoto received the death penalty and was executed in 1953. Furuya was sentenced to 10 years in prison but later committed additional murders after his release.
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The Kobe child murders, also known as the Sakakibara Seito case, were a series of shocking crimes committed by a 14-year-old junior high school student in Suma Ward, Kobe, Japan, between February and May 1997. The perpetrator, referred to as "Boy A" due to Japanese juvenile law, attacked five elementary school children aged 9 to 12, resulting in two fatalities and injuries to three others.
On May 27, 1997, the decapitated head of 11-year-old Jun Hase was found at the gate of Tomogaoka Junior High School, accompanied by a note signed "Sakakibara Seito." This gruesome discovery led to widespread media coverage and public outcry. Subsequent investigations, including analysis of handwriting and the content of letters sent to the media, led authorities to suspect Boy A. He was apprehended on June 28, 1997, and confessed to the crimes.
Following his arrest, Boy A was sent to a medical juvenile reformatory. After approximately six years and nine months of rehabilitation, he was released on a provisional basis in March 2004, with officials stating that he no longer posed a threat to society. In 2015, under the pseudonym "Former Boy A," he published a memoir titled "Zekka," detailing his psychological state before and after the crimes, which sparked controversy and criticism from the public and victims' families.
The case had significant legal and societal impacts in Japan. It prompted discussions on juvenile crime and led to amendments in the Juvenile Law, lowering the age at which minors could be tried as adults from 16 to 14. Additionally, in 2022, it was revealed that the Kobe Family Court had destroyed all records related to the case in 2011 after the expiration of the storage period, raising concerns about the preservation of important legal documents.
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The Ōokayama–Senju Serial Murders refer to two connected family homicide cases that occurred in Tokyo during the 1920s. On September 5, 1925, in Ōokayama (present-day Meguro, Tokyo), three people — a woman named A (23), her husband ST (25), and their adopted daughter F (29) — were found dead in actress Utako Nakayama's residence. Initially believed to be a group suicide, autopsies revealed all were strangled. Evidence pointed to robbery, as valuables including a bankbook and wallet were missing, and 520 yen had been withdrawn using the stolen bankbook.
A year later, in September 1926, a man named T filed a fraud report but acted suspiciously when questioned further. Under pressure, he confessed to multiple frauds and later unexpectedly admitted to the Ōokayama murders. However, he died of tuberculosis in 1928 while in custody. Investigations later proved he was not responsible and may have confessed to hide involvement in a different unsolved crime — the 1922 Kirigaya family murders.
On August 21, 1928, in Senju (now part of Adachi, Tokyo), two more victims — a woman M (43) and a maid WK (16) — were found strangled at a soy sauce shop owned by YK (50). The case led to the arrest of Tetsuo Gomi, a driver in debt to YK, and his accomplice, Fujita Tanaka. Gomi confessed to murdering YK, then killing M and WK to eliminate witnesses. Later, under further investigation, Gomi admitted to also committing the 1925 Ōokayama murders with Tanaka. Police found stolen items from the earlier crime in their possession.
In court, Gomi declared he felt no remorse and believed murder was his life’s purpose. He insulted T, the wrongly accused man, calling him a “stupid fool.” In April 1931, both men were sentenced to death. Tanaka appealed, claiming he was coerced, but the appeal was denied. Both Gomi and Tanaka were executed on March 7, 1933.
These murders shocked Japan, revealing investigative failures and exposing a chilling, multi-year killing spree committed by the same pair.
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The Hotel Nihonkaku Murder Case, uncovered in 1961, involved a series of calculated killings orchestrated by K, a woman driven by ambition to own a hot spring inn. In 1958, K learned that Hotel Nihonkaku in Shiobara Onsen, Tochigi Prefecture, was facing financial difficulties and might be auctioned. Aspiring to run her own inn, she approached the hotel's owner but was initially rejected. Later that year, the owner proposed that if K provided a severance payment of 500,000 yen to his current wife, he would divorce her and marry K, making her a co-owner of the inn. K negotiated the amount down to 300,000 yen, but the owner's wife refused the divorce, deeming the amount insufficient. Consequently, K and the owner conspired to murder his wife. On February 8, 1960, they hired O, a handyman, to carry out the killing. The wife's body was buried beneath the earthen floor of the hotel and reported missing.
After marrying the owner, K invested 2 million yen of her savings into expanding the inn. However, she discovered that the owner had not transferred the property's title to her and that the inn was heavily in debt, nearing auction. Feeling betrayed, K persuaded O to help her murder the owner, promising they would run the hotel together. On December 31, 1960, O strangled the owner, and K fatally stabbed him. His body was concealed beneath the hotel's floor.
Suspicion arose when both the owner and his wife were reported missing. On February 19, 1961, police arrested K and O. O confessed immediately, while K admitted her involvement after three days. Subsequent investigations uncovered the buried bodies. Additionally, a tip led authorities to question K about her previous husband's death nine years earlier, which she confessed to, revealing she had poisoned him with cyanide.
In August 1963, the Utsunomiya District Court sentenced K to death and O to life imprisonment. The Supreme Court upheld these sentences in July 1966. On June 11, 1970, K was executed, becoming the first woman executed in Japan after World War II.
K's life story, marked by poverty, ambition, and manipulation, has been the subject of various books and films, reflecting on the complexities of her character and the societal factors influencing her actions.
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Kuroda Koichi, born in Kakishima Village as the second son of village council member Kuroda Tanezaburo, was a bright student whose academic aspirations were curtailed due to family financial difficulties. He began working as a servant at the village office and later, in 1909, moved to Korea with a school principal, taking up various jobs, including laborer and transport worker. His association with the Kimura Group led him to the right-wing organization Shichisei Gidan, where he was involved in distributing their newspaper.
In 1929, following the forced passage of the Peace Preservation Law amendment, Kuroda targeted Yamamoto Senji, a Labor-Farmer Party member who opposed the law. Kuroda accused Yamamoto of being a communist and disrespectful to the emperor, demanding his resignation and suicide. When Yamamoto refused, Kuroda fatally stabbed him at the Kōeikan inn.
Kuroda surrendered immediately, claiming self-defense and denying any affiliation with Shichisei Gidan. However, the group's newspaper had previously criticized Yamamoto and others, suggesting a broader conspiracy. While some police officials appeared sympathetic to Kuroda, prosecutors pursued murder charges, resulting in a 12-year prison sentence. He was released after six years, an unusually lenient outcome.
Post-release, Kuroda worked in Korea and Manchuria before returning to Japan after World War II. He lived a modest life, rarely speaking of his past. Later accounts suggest he believed he was promised rewards for assassinating Yamamoto but was abandoned by those who encouraged him. Some researchers speculate that a high-ranking official, possibly Ryūjirō Ōkubo, was the mastermind behind the assassination. Kuroda eventually died in a psychiatric hospital.
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The Shibuya Station Shooting Incident occurred on June 23, 2004, when Tokuhisa Kumagai shot a station employee at Tokyo Metro’s Shibuya Station during a robbery attempt. Prior to this, he had committed several violent crimes, including arson at Tokyo Station and the fatal shooting of a Chinese restaurant owner in Yokohama. Kumagai, with a long history of criminal behavior dating back to his youth, was arrested on June 26, 2004. In 2011, the Supreme Court upheld a death sentence for him, emphasizing the planned nature and danger of his crimes, despite there being only one murder victim—an exceptional decision under Japanese law. Kumagai was executed in 2013. Born in 1940 (or 1938 under another identity), he had a troubled upbringing as a war orphan, eventually turning to crime. His criminal record included theft, gambling, assault, and armed robbery. His later offenses were driven by financial desperation to start a business.
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In December 1980, in Nagoya, Japan, 22-year-old university student A was abducted and murdered by 30-year-old sushi shop employee Shuji Kimura. Kimura lured A under the pretense of an English tutoring job, then kidnapped and strangled her. He disposed of her body by throwing it into the Kiso River from the Kiso River Bridge on the Tōmei Hanshin Expressway. Subsequently, Kimura contacted A's family multiple times, demanding a ransom of 30 million yen. He was arrested in January 1981, convicted of kidnapping for ransom, murder, and corpse abandonment, and sentenced to death in 1987. Kimura was executed in December 1995. This case, the 106th ransom kidnapping in post-war Japan, garnered significant public attention due to the victim's status as a student at a prestigious local women's university and the extensive media coverage.
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"Moraiko Satsujin," or "adopted child murder," was a historical practice in Japan where individuals accepted unwanted newborns under the guise of providing care but subsequently killed them after receiving compensation from the biological parents. This practice emerged due to societal stigmas against illegitimate births and economic hardships that made it difficult for families to raise additional children. The lack of legal avenues for abortion and minimal oversight allowed such acts to persist, often unnoticed, especially given the high infant mortality rates of the time. Similar practices, known as "baby farming," occurred in other countries, including Britain, Australia, and the United States. The decline of "Moraiko Satsujin" in Japan coincided with legal reforms, the legalization of abortion, improved social welfare systems, and stricter regulations on child adoption and welfare. These changes collectively contributed to the eradication of this tragic practice.
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Shigeru Katsumi, born Seiya Tsumura on December 25, 1937, in Miyazaki City, Japan, was a prominent Japanese singer known for his contributions to the rockabilly and pop genres. He gained fame in the early 1960s with Japanese covers of popular Western songs, notably his 1961 debut with "Johnny Remember Me," which sold 40,000 copies. Katsumi also performed the theme song for the 1963 television anime "Eightman" and achieved significant success with his 1964 hit "Sasurai," selling 60,000 copies.
Despite his musical achievements, Katsumi's career declined in the early 1970s. Facing financial difficulties and personal turmoil, he became involved in a scandal that culminated in the murder of his mistress in 1976. Subsequently, he was convicted and sentenced to prison. After serving his sentence, Katsumi lived a relatively quiet life until his death on February 27, 2013.
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Satoshi Uematsu, born in 1990, is a Japanese man sentenced to death for the 2016 mass murder at Tsukui Yamayuri Garden, a facility for disabled individuals in Sagamihara. A former employee, his motive was his belief that severely disabled, non-communicative people are a burden and that their euthanasia would bring world peace. He was convicted in 2020 and is on death row, having filed for a retrial in 2022.
Raised near the facility, Uematsu showed early prejudice against disabled individuals. While academically capable and a basketball player in junior high, he also exhibited delinquent behavior and violence towards a disabled classmate. He transferred high schools and later graduated from Teikyo University with a teaching license but did not become a teacher. During university, he used drugs and associated with questionable groups. Before the incident, he lived alone after his parents moved.
Uematsu worked at Tsukui Yamayuri Garden from 2012 to 2016. Initially positive about the job, his views shifted after feeling unappreciated for helping a resident. He developed behavioral issues at work and became involved with tattoos and potentially drugs, leading to his dismissal from a tattoo apprenticeship due to disturbing statements about killing disabled people. He was also involved in an assault incident in 2015.
In February 2016, Uematsu wrote about his "New Japan Order" plan, including the murder of disabled individuals. He sent a threatening letter to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and another to Prime Minister Abe, outlining his attack plan on two facilities, aiming to kill 260 people. He demanded specific conditions upon arrest, including being declared innocent and financial support.
Despite the House reporting the letter to the police, the Tsukui Yamayuri Garden was slow to react. Uematsu further expressed his harmful ideology to colleagues, leading to his compulsory psychiatric hospitalization in February 2016. Diagnosed with drug-induced psychosis and personality disorders, he was discharged within weeks. He received unemployment and welfare benefits, the latter fraudulently.
Driven by a distorted sense of being targeted by the yakuza due to his pro-marijuana stance, Uematsu expedited his planned attack. He prepared by buying tools and on July 26, 2016, broke into Tsukui Yamayuri Garden, committing the mass murder. He tweeted a disturbing message before turning himself in. Post-arrest, he apologized to the victims' families but not the victims themselves, maintaining his prejudiced views. He tested positive for cannabis.
In custody, Uematsu expressed a belief in his immunity and that society should agree with him, bizarrely citing the Kyoto Animation arson as horrific. He consistently dehumanized disabled individuals in interviews, justifying his actions based on perceived societal burdens and citing influences like Donald Trump and ISIS. He later acknowledged his sanity but hoped for a lenient sentence, initially claiming his victims weren't human before finally offering a limited apology for the method of killing. While stating he deserved the death penalty but didn't want it, he ultimately did not intend to appeal his sentence.
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The Suzugamori Ohara Murder Incident, a wrongful conviction case from the Taisho era, occurred on April 30, 1915, at the former Suzugamori execution grounds. The victim's lover was arrested but later exonerated when the true perpetrator confessed.
The Suzugamori Ohari Murder Case, which occurred on April 30, 1915, at the site of the former Suzugamori execution grounds in Tokyo, Japan, is a notable example of a wrongful conviction from the Taisho era. The victim, Ohari, was a 26-year-old woman employed at a sand bath inn adjacent to the Onigami Shrine. Her body was discovered on the shrine's premises, showing signs of strangulation and post-mortem mutilation.
Initially, the police focused on K, one of Ohari's lovers, as the prime suspect. K, despite being married with children, had been involved with Ohari for several years. Their relationship recently ended after a dispute over a separation payment. Under intense interrogation, K confessed to the crime, detailing how a confrontation with Ohari led to her accidental death, followed by attempts to conceal the body. However, the investigation failed to find physical evidence, such as the alleged murder weapon, and K's account had inconsistencies.
The case took a dramatic turn when Ishii Toji, a 44-year-old man with prior convictions, confessed to the murder while in custody for another crime. Ishii claimed that he encountered Ohari alone at night, attempted to assault her, and, when she resisted, strangled her. To mislead the investigation, he claimed to have staged the scene to suggest a crime of passion. His detailed knowledge of the crime scene and the discovery of a woman's wallet matching Ohari's personal items lent credibility to his confession. Consequently, K was released, and Ishii was charged with the murder.
During the trial, Ishii admitted his guilt and even requested the death penalty, expressing remorse for his actions. Initially, the Tokyo District Court acquitted him due to insufficient evidence, a decision that surprised both the prosecution and defense. Both parties appealed, and in March 1918, the Tokyo High Court convicted Ishii, sentencing him to death. He was executed on August 17, 1918.
This case highlights the complexities of criminal investigations and the potential for miscarriages of justice. It underscores the importance of corroborating confessions with physical evidence and ensuring that legal proceedings uphold the principles of fairness and accuracy.
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Sada Abe (May 28, 1905 - death date unknown) gained notoriety in Japan for killing her lover and removing his genitals in May 1936, an incident that shocked the nation and became a cultural phenomenon.
Born in Tokyo to a prosperous tatami shop owner, Sada was the youngest of eight children. She had developmental difficulties, unable to speak until age four, and later became known for her temperamental nature. As the much younger sibling in her family, she was indulged by her parents who prioritized her artistic education in shamisen and traditional music over academic studies.
At age 15, Sada was sexually assaulted by a university student, an event that profoundly altered her path. Following this trauma, she became rebellious, eventually leading her family to sell her into the geisha profession at 17. Working under various names including "Miyako," she moved between establishments in Yokohama and other cities.
Sada later transitioned to prostitution, working in high-class brothels across Osaka, Hyogo, and Nagoya. In 1930, she fled her final brothel, abandoning substantial debt. After various relationships and jobs, in 1936, she began working at a restaurant in Tokyo where she started an affair with the married owner, Yoshizo Ishida.
On May 18, 1936, at a teahouse in Tokyo, Sada strangled Ishida to death and severed his genitals, which she carried with her. She was arrested two days later, found wearing some of Ishida's clothing.
The case captivated Japan. Psychological evaluation diagnosed her with sadism and fetishism but determined she was legally responsible. In December 1936, she received a six-year prison sentence. During her incarceration, she was transferred between multiple facilities due to her mental condition and the publicity surrounding her case. She reportedly received thousands of letters and marriage proposals while imprisoned.
The "Sada Abe Incident" remains one of Japan's most infamous crimes of the early 20th century, inspiring numerous artistic works and continuing to fascinate cultural historians.
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