Society

Kanagawa police identify man in Tama River suitcase

TOKYO, Dec 31 (News On Japan) - A breakthrough has been made in the grisly discovery of a body found in a suitcase in Tama River, near Haneda Airport, with police identifying the victim as 46-year-old Yuiji Hara, whose occupation remains unknown.

Just after 10 PM on Friday night, a fisherman called emergency services reporting he had discovered a suspicious suitcase on Tama River in Kawasaki Ward, Kawasaki City. Officers took the large suitcase on wheels back to the police station where the contents were checked the next morning, revealing the body of an adult male.

According to the results of an autopsy, the cause of death was determined to be suffocation. The body is believed to have been dead for several days. The prefectural police are investigating the case as a suspected murder and abandonment of a corpse.

Source: テレ東BIZ

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.

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