Japan's alleged 'black widow' admits killing husband

Jul 10, 2017 | News On Japan

Jul 10, 2017 (Japan Times) - A 70-year-old woman dubbed the â€œblack widowâ€ admitted Monday to fatally poisoning her husband.

"I killed my husband," Chisako Kakehi said after taking the stand for the first time in her lay judge trial at the Kyoto District Court.

Besides murdering her husband, Isao Kakehi, who died in 2013 at age 75, Chisaki Kakehi is accused of using poison to kill her two common-law husbands and attempting to murder a boyfriend. Prosecutors allege these crimes were all committed between 2007 and 2013.

When the trial started on June 26, Kakehi only provided an opening statement that said, "I'm leaving everything to my lawyers." Her legal team asserted her innocence, claiming she cannot be held liable for crimes because she has dementia.

Kakehi's husband died on Dec. 28, 2013. A fatal dose of a cyanide compound was detected in his body.

During her testimony Monday, Kakehi said she tricked her husband into taking the poison and that she probably put it in a health food capsule.

Kakehi also said she obtained chemicals containing cyanide from a supplier when she was running a T-shirt printing business.

Asked about her motive for the killing, Kakehi said she thought she would be able to repay her debts if her husband died, admitting she murdered him for his money.

Kakehi said her husband treated her poorly when it came to financial matters, especially when compared with a different woman he used to date.

Source: ANNnewsCH

Typhoons No. 28 and 29 Bring High Waves to Japan's Pacific Coast

Two typhoons moving across the Pacific southeast of Japan are expected to remain well away from the Japanese mainland, but powerful swells could bring rough seas to a wide stretch of the country's Pacific coastline throughout the three-day holiday weekend, according to forecasts updated at 3 a.m. on October 10.

Cyberattacks Spread Across Japan

A series of cyberattacks has disrupted business operations and exposed millions of customer records across Japan, with a ransomware attack on a cloud service provider affecting 495 companies and local governments nationwide, while convenience store operator Lawson has disclosed a separate breach involving more than 2.15 million personal information records.

Japan's First 360-Degree Projection Mapping Opens in Osaka

Japan's first 360-degree projection mapping show will open at the Osaka City Museum of Fine Arts on October 10, transforming the historic building into an immersive world of light, music, and seasonal imagery, with organizers hoping the attraction will also help stimulate the city's nighttime economy.

Tokyo University Professor Wins Nobel Prize in Chemistry

Tokyo University of Science professor emeritus Kenzo Soai has been awarded this year's Nobel Prize in Chemistry together with French chemist Henri B. Kagan for discoveries that transformed scientists' understanding of how chemical reactions can favor one of two mirror-image forms of a molecule.

US Military Halts All Okinawa Operations for 48 Hours

The US military suspended activities by all forces stationed in Okinawa for 48 hours from noon on October 7, an unusual measure following the arrest of a US Marine in connection with a robbery and murder case that has renewed scrutiny of crimes involving American service members.

MEDIA CHANNELS

MORE Society NEWS

Most Sightings of Fugitive Yoichi Hatta Reported in Kanto

Police in Oita Prefecture have revealed that the Kanto region accounts for the largest number of reported sightings of Yoichi Hatta, a fugitive wanted in connection with a fatal hit-and-run incident in Beppu in 2022, with authorities preparing to distribute new wanted posters nationwide from November as the search enters its fifth year.