Society

Man in custody for dumping woman’s corpse to also be accused of rape

Jan 06 (tokyoreporter.com) - A 29-year-old man in custody for allegedly dumping the body of a woman in Tochigi Prefecture last year is expected to also be accused of raping the victim, police have revealed, reports TBS News (Jan. 6).

On Wednesday, police plan to accuse Yoshito Sato, a nursery school teacher, of sexually assaulting Saori Tomitsuka, a 35-year-old contract employee, last year.

“I thought it was fine to rape her if I killed her,” Sato was quoted by police.

“I strangled her with a rope in killing her”

Last month, police accused Sato of dumping the body of Tomitsuka on the grounds of a villa in the town of Nasu.

“I broke into [her] residence to steal money,” Sato told police previously. “When she resisted, I strangled her with a rope in killing her.”

The cause of death of Tomitsuka was suffocation caused by pressure applied to the neck, police said previously.

Tomitsuka, who lived in Toshima Ward in the capital, went missing on September 24. Sato lives about 600 meters from her residence.

Police investigating her disappearance found her mobile telephone near her residence. An examination of security camera footage by police showed a person believed to be Sato following Tomitsuka around the time she disappeared.

On December 5, police took Sato in for voluntary questioning. During the session, he divulged the location of her body.

Police later found her unclothed body on the property of the villa. It is believed that Sato used his vehicle to transport Tomitsuka’s body to Nasu after he killed her.

Source: ANNnewsCH

Do Bears Prefer Acorns or Berries?

Bear sightings across Japan have already climbed to nearly twice the level recorded during the same period last year, prompting entry bans in mountain areas behind Kyoto’s Ninna-ji Temple and the cancellation of hiking events in Kansai, while new research suggests that the key to reducing encounters may lie in understanding what bears eat in each region.

Copper Thieves Target Japanese Shrines

Copper roofing panels were stolen from several shrines in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, including a city-designated cultural property, in the latest case amid a nationwide surge in copper thefts targeting shrines and temples across Japan, where soaring metal prices have fueled crimes that leave historic religious buildings damaged, exposed to the elements, and facing repair costs of millions of yen.

1200-Year-Old Temple on Miyajima Reduced to Ashes

Flames broke out on the morning of May 20th on Miyajima Island in Hiroshima Prefecture, home to one of Japan's World Heritage sites, destroying Reikado Hall near the summit of Mount Misen.

From Bento Boxes to Garbage Bags, Rising Costs Hitting Daily Life Across Japan

Uncertainty surrounding the situation in the Middle East is beginning to affect daily life in Japan, as concerns over crude oil supplies spread to restaurants, cleaning services and even household garbage disposal systems across the Kansai region.

Tochigi Robbery-Murder Suspect’s Wife Posted Dance Videos on Social Media

A 25-year-old woman arrested as a suspected ringleader in a robbery-murder case in Tochigi Prefecture once posted cheerful dance videos on social media and was remembered by those who knew her as an energetic and outgoing young woman.

MEDIA CHANNELS

MORE Society NEWS

Garbage Burnoff Spreads to 3 Buildings in Okayama

A fire that broke out in Kagamino, Okayama Prefecture, shortly after noon on May 20th destroyed three buildings, including a home, after flames from open burning spread to dead leaves and then to nearby structures.

Gang Members Arrested After Opening Office Near Nursery

Six people, including a senior member of a group affiliated with the Sumiyoshi-kai crime syndicate's Kohei-ikka faction, have been arrested on suspicion of opening a gang office in a prohibited area near a nursery school in Tokyo's Itabashi Ward.

Six Police Officers Injured After Man Sprays Liquid at Station

A man who visited a police station in Hiratsuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, in the early hours of May 21st allegedly sprayed a transparent liquid inside the building, causing six police officers to complain of eye and throat pain and be taken to hospital with minor injuries.