Man arrested over murder of Osaka karaoke parlor owner asks for death penalty

Sep 17, 2022 | News On Japan

Sep 17, 2022 (Japan Today) - A 57-year-old man who went on trial at the Osaka District Court on Friday for killing a 25-year-old woman at the karaoke parlor she owned last year, requested the death penalty when asked if he pleaded guilty or not.

Hiroshi Miyamoto, a company employee from Nishinomiya in Hyogo Prefecture, is accused of killing Mayuko Inada whose body was found at around 10:45 a.m. on June 14, 2021, at her Gomachan karaoke parlor on the fifth floor of a commercial building in Tenjinbashi, Kita Ward, Osaka, Fuji TV reported. Police said Miyamoto, who was a regular customer at the karaoke parlor, has admitted going to the parlor on the night of June 11 and killing Inada by stabbing her at least 10 times in the chest and neck.

A male friend of Inada, worried at not having heard from her, went to the building on June 14 and spoke to a woman who runs a coffee shop on the first floor. The woman, who was also a close friend of the Inada, has a master key to the karaoke parlor. She and the man went up to the fifth floor and let themselves into the locked karaoke parlor where they found Inada’s body.

In the opening session of Miyamoto’s trial, prosecutors said that building surveillance camera footage showed Inada going into the building at around 5 p.m. on June 11 but there was no footage showing her leaving the building. ...continue reading

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.