True Crime Japan Podcast

In 1988, acting on a tip from a concerned landlord, local officials visited an apartment in Tokyo's Sugamo area. They found three children, malnourished, and living on their own, and the corpse of another. It was later determined that the children had another sibling who couldn't be located. Here the sad details of the case in this episode.

In 2009 college student Miyako Hiraoka disappeared while walking home from her part-time job. Closure wouldn't come until 2016, after a seven year investigation, but with a shocking twist. Find out what happened in this episode of True Crime Japan. Contact info: Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/599855356835724/ Email truecrimejapan@gmail.com

Don't skip just yet!!!. We promise you some fun stories, after all, our main beat might be crime, but who says we can't have fun outside our comfort zone? From the land of the rising sun, we bring you 3 stories about encounters of the third kind. Contact info: Facebook group www.facebook.com/groups/599855356835724/ Email truecrimejapan@gmail.com

One of Tokyo's most bizarre unsolved cases - in the early morning light of one of the city's most desirable neighbourhoods, park workers discovered garbage bags full of what they thought were small, very precisely cut pieces of fish... Not exactly. The bags contained the remains of a man, apparently murdered and dismembered while returning home from drinks with a coworker, all within his own neighbourhood. Who killed him and disposed of his body. We investigate. Contact info: Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/599855356835724/ Email truecrimejapan@gmail.com

In 1998, Noriko Shizuka, disappeared while traveling with her family to the picturesque Akagi Shrine. She stepped away from one group of relatives to catch up with her husband. Curiously, as family members watched Noriko walk off, she veered away from the direction of the shrine and disappeared from view. Noriko Shizuka hasn't been seen since. What happened that day and where is Noriko? Contact info: Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/599855356835724/ Email truecrimejapan@gmail.com

Warning: this episode covers incidents of violence against children. Children taken from their own neighborhoods in broad daylight... The horrific crimes of Tsutomo Miyazaki shocked Japan, terrifying parents in a country that prides itself on its exceptionally low crime rate. Nicknamed "The Otaku Murderer" in the media, because of the collection of violent anime found in his home, Miyazaki taunted his victims' families and police investigating the case. After being caught he blamed is crimes on an alter ego he called Rat Man, and spent his trial drawing cartoon images of the character he claimed compelled him to kill. Contact info: Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/599855356835724/ Email truecrimejapan@gmail.com

There's a monster in the woods. When this small Hokkaido frontier village suffers a series of deadly bear attacks neighbours must band together for survival.  But will help arrive in time to save them? Find out in this week's episode. Contact info: Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/599855356835724/ Email truecrimejapan@gmail.com

In this double feature we look a pair of lighter cases involving greed, generosity and cold hard cash. When boxes of ¥10,000 notes start showing up in the restrooms of municipal offices police begin to wonder if they have a corruption scheme on their hands. However, could this just be the work of a kind hearted soul who wants to do some good in the world? In our second case we look at what happens when the worlds of high school mean girls, small town gossip and private banking collide. Carnage, or at least whimsical high jinx ensue. Contact info: Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/599855356835724/ Email truecrimejapan@gmail.com

We're back! Welcome to our first episode of Season 2! At first glance there seemed to be no connection between a bizarre string of disappearances until the common denominator is discovered - the missing were each involved in the pedigree dog industry. Contact info: Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/599855356835724/ Email truecrimejapan@gmail.com

In 1959 Tomoko Takekawa’s life was full of promise, having moved to Tokyo from her parents home in Kobe had given her a whole new level of independence and freedom. That year she was also hired as a stewardess for the British airline BOAC. It seemed the whole world was opening up for her, unfortunately this is where Tomoko’s story ends and the story of this week’s case begins. On March 10th, 1959 Tomoko’s lifeless body was found strangled and lying face up on the banks of the Zenpukuji River. Though police scoured the Stewardess’ social life and airline connections no one was ever charged with her murder. The case remains unsolved to this day. We would like to mention a special thanks to each of the wonderful members of the research team who contributed to the notes for this episode, much appreciated everyone! Contact info: Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/599855356835724/ Email truecrimejapan@gmail.com Sources: http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/straitstimes19590507.2.4.aspx http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/straitstimes19590613.2.41.aspx http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/freepress19590313-1.2.105.aspx https://books.google.com/books?id=fqFyA8_NzPwC&pg=PA81&lpg=PA81&dq=Tomoko+Takekawa+1959&source=bl&ots=m9UAOymdid&sig=NeeE4AWXoZypsRX21UQ2_tZ5Jas&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjO6aX_sKvNAhWJ0iYKHRZwDosQ6AEIHjAA#v=onepage&q=Tomoko%20Takekawa%201959&f=false https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/10084088/ http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/04/business/book-finds-the-feminist-in-yesterdays-stewardess.html?_r=0 Japanese Language Sources http://www.maroon.dti.ne.jp/knight999/stewardess.htm

**Warning: this week’s episode is especially disturbing.** Some couples just aren’t good for each other... and then there’s Futoshi Matsunaga and Junko Ogata. Matsunaga, an undeniable psychopath, with Ogata at his side led a decades long crime spree which included fraud, blackmail, murder, rape, kidnapping, as well as physical and psychological torture. In fact, Matsunaga took particular delight in breaking his victims’ spirits, often forcing them to harm their own family members. His crimes were so numerous and heinous the Japanese media refused to report the details. Contact info: Facebook group. It’s private, but everyone is free to join. https://www.facebook.com/groups/599855356835724/ Email us. truecrimejapan@gmail.com Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Futoshi_Matsunaga http://murderpedia.org/male.M/m/matsunaga-futoshi.htm https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Junko_Ogata http://murderpedia.org/female.O/o/ogata-junko.htm http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2005/09/29/national/pair-to-hang-for-seven-murders/ http://www.absolutecrime.com/futoshi-matsunaga.html#.V3uTSBgdzq0

June 4, 2001 should have been a normal day for the Yamagami family. That morning they made their beds, prepared breakfast, the newspaper was delivered on time - the only thing missing was the Yamagami family themselves. All four adults and the family dog were soon discovered to be missing. With a lack of leads the case baffled investigators for over a year, until a chance discovery answered some questions but left others a mystery. Contact info: Facebook group. It’s private, but everyone is free to join. https://www.facebook.com/groups/599855356835724/ Email us. truecrimejapan@gmail.com Sources: https://bizarreandgrotesque.com/2016/01/11/the-disappearance-of-the-yamagamis/ Japanese Language http://matome.naver.jp/odai/2138932938324470001

This week’s episode covers a particularly dark topic in contemporary Japan, the case of serial killer Hiroshi Maeue. Driven by his uncontrollable desire to fulfill his lustful murderous fantasies, Maeue would seek out the depressed and suicidal online making them his prey. He would spend months grooming his victims online, convincing them to join in suicide pacts, though his true intention was only murder. After his kills he would return home only to begin grooming his next victim, a process he would repeat again and again. This episode contains themes of suicide, and we felt the responsible thing to do would be to include links to positive mental health resources. In Japan, Tell Lifelink provides free telephone counselling everyday. http://telljp.com/lifeline/ International by country http://www.suicide.org/international-suicide-hotlines.html We know we have listeners all over, the world so If you do want help it’s out there and there is no shame in reaching out. Contact info: Facebook group. It’s private, but everyone is free to join. https://www.facebook.com/groups/599855356835724/ Email us. truecrimejapan@gmail.com Sources: http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2007/03/29/news/man-gets-death-for-murdering-suicidal-trio/#.Vz-U0PTXfCQ http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2005/08/07/news/alleged-killer-linked-to-suicide-site/#.Vz-VT_TXfCQ http://www.biomedsearch.com/article/Global-suicide/147201424.html http://murderpedia.org/male.M/m/maeue-hiroshi.htm https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiroshi_Maeue http://www.theage.com.au/news/world/suicide-killer-arrested-over-three-deaths/2005/08/08/1123353263702.html http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/03/28/suicide_pact_murderer/ www.upi.com/Top_News/2005/08/07/Man-admits-to-more-suicide-pact-murders/55081123452054/ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8171699.stm http://www.smh.com.au/news/breaking/3-die-in-fake-net-suicide-pacts/2005/08/08/1123353234644.html http://www.executedtoday.com/2010/07/28/2009-hiroshi-maeue-suicide-website-murderer/ https://splashmans.wikispaces.com/Hiroshi+Maeue (Japanese Language Sites) http://matome.naver.jp/odai/2137034193973191701 https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/????????? http://policelink.monster.com/training/articles/16342-modus-operandi-vs-offender-signature https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suicide_in_Japan http://www.bbc.com/news/world-33362387 http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/International/story?id=564931 https://massmurderers.wordpress.com/2010/06/ http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2016/05/31/national/social-issues/suicides-2015-japan-numbers-still-serious-among-young-elderly/#.V1OLdxgdzq0

Thousands of young people come to Japan each year to teach English as a second language, for most this is a wonderful chance to experience Japanese culture firsthand. This week’s episode is about one young woman, Lindsay Hawker, who did just that, but her story is not a happy one. Working as an English teacher in 2007, Hawker encountered Tatsuya Ichihashi, initially put off by his forward manner she eventually agreed to meet him at a cafe for a private lesson. The encounter would not go as planned. Hawker’s body would later be found in Ichihashi’s apartment, however her murderer would not face justice until after a nearly three-year long manhunt. We’ll be posting additional content and videos on our Facebook group. It’s private, but everyone is free to join. https://www.facebook.com/groups/599855356835724/ Email us. truecrimejapan@gmail.com Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Lindsay_Hawker http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00dghmq http://www.japantoday.com/category/kuchikomi/view/fugitive-ichihashi-may-be-in-philippines http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/witness-sees-through-accused-strangler-tatsuya-ichihashis-plastic-surgery/story-e6frg6so-1225796339488 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/6502219.stm http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-11/10/content_12426654.htm https://web.archive.org/web/20090710135800/http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-457891/Lindsay-Ann-Hawkers-killer-run.html http://lindsayhawkerarticles.blogspot.jp/

Charles and Di, Will and Kate, Satohito and Harumi - okay, in terms of royal couples that last pair might not be so familiar. In 2003 a lavish banquet was held to celebrate the new marriage of Prince Satohito Arisugawa of Japan’s Imperial Family. As one might expect, the guestlist was a who’s who of celebrities, politicians and wealthy elites. The party might have been a major success if it weren’t for one small problem; there is no Prince Satohito Arisugawa. In this episode we dive into one of the boldest and most uniquely Japanese swindles in modern history. We’ll be posting additional content and videos on our Facebook group. It’s private, but everyone is free to join. https://www.facebook.com/groups/599855356835724/ Email us. truecrimejapan@gmail.com Sources: http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2006/09/12/national/imperial-imposters-get-26-months/#.Vy3sB8jXfCQ http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2003/10/22/national/trio-held-for-fraud-over-imperial-wedding-scam/#.Vy3yMsjXfCQ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/5334330.stm http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/japan/1477717/Guests-at-royal-Japanese-wedding-saw-bride-then-gloom.html http://articles.latimes.com/2003/oct/27/world/fg-royals27 http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/news/world/asia/article2610435.ece http://www.oneindia.com/2006/09/11/japan-couple-jailed-over-royal-wedding-rip-off-1157956700.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperial_House_of_Japan https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kusanagi

Miyuki Ishikawa rose from a rural upbringing to attend one of Tokyo’s most prestigious universities. She went on to achieve career success, eventually reaching the position of Hospital Director for Kotobuki Maternity Hospital. However, in the turmoil of post-WWII Japan many families found themselves unable to financially support the arrival of a new child. Faced with limited resources within her hospital as well, Ishikawa decided the best solution was to neglect infants from families she considered too financially challenged to raise them. The newborns would eventually pass away from neglect. Together with her accomplices Ishikawa would dispose of the infants’ bodies and falsify death certificates to conceal the crime from authorities. She would later begin to charge poor families to ‘take care’ of their newborns, arguing that the it would be cheaper to pay the fee than face the financial burden of trying to raise them. The public outcry that followed the discovery of Ishikawa’s crimes ultimately lead to the legalization of abortion in Japan. Estimated to have been responsible for the murder of at least 103 infants, Ishikawa’s high death toll makes her the most prolific serial killer in Japanese history. Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miyuki_Ishikawa http://murderpedia.org/female.I/i/ishikawa-miyuki.htm http://unknownmisandry.blogspot.jp/2011/09/miyuki-ishikawa-japanese-childcare.html

It happened one night... In 1996 two high school students decided to embark on a test of courage (kimo dameishi) by exploring a nearby abandoned hotel at midnight. The Tsubono Spa was rumored to be a paranormal spot by teenagers and hangout for petty criminals by locals. Along their drive there were confirmed sightings of the pair, as well a series of pager messages (It was the 90s) updating friends and family on their progress and location. Upon nearing the area of the hotel the messages stopped, and the two have never been seen or heard from again. This case is part without-a-trace disappearance, part urban legend, and part internet rabbit hole. With few certainties and a tremendous amount of speculation, theories about the case have been widely debated in Japan but there has been little coverage abroad. We’ll be posting additional content and videos on our Facebook group. It’s private, but everyone is free to join. https://www.facebook.com/groups/599855356835724/ Email us. truecrimejapan@gmail.com Check out our website, hosted by Southern Dojo. http://www.southerndojo.com/truecrimejapan/ Sources: Kimo Dameishi https://hyakumonogatari.com/2012/02/01/kimodameshi-the-test-of-courage/ https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1683&dat=19950529&id=BKMaAAAAIBAJ&sjid=7CwEAAAAIBAJ&pg=3683,4323075&hl=en Psychic Spot Disappearance(Sources for this case were only found in Japanese) http://fumibako.com/kowai/story/case/2.html http://matome.naver.jp/odai/2139598387700660101 http://toyamanoteiou.blog102.fc2.com/blog-entry-1430.html http://okakuro.org/tsubono-kousen/ http://mikaiketsu.9.tool.ms/1/ Bosozoku https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B%C5%8Ds%C5%8Dzoku http://www.vice.com/video/japans-aging-bosozoku-biker-gang-859 https://www.tofugu.com/japan/bosozoku/ http://dangerousminds.net/comments/japanese_rebel_biker_culture North Korean Abduction https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Korean_abductions_of_Japanese_citizens#Other_abductions_by_North_Korea http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/explainer/2003/08/why_north_koreans_were_kidnappers.html http://www.hrnk.org/uploads/pdfs/Taken_LQ.pdf

We’re back with a new episode of the True Crime Japan Podcast. Tokyo’s Akihabara neighborhood has become a mecca for Japan’s Otaku (geek) and Cosplay cultures. On any given weekend the streets are crowded with people streaming in and out of the area’s many manga shops, game centers, and electronics stores. In 2008, however, these same streets were the scene of terror as rampage killer, Tomohiro Kat?, mowed down five people with a rented moving truck. This was only the beginning, in the chaos that followed Kat? began to indiscriminately stab the people nearby, many of whom had come to help those injured by the truck. Kat? was quickly apprehended at the scene, but the Japanese public was about to be shocked even more as details of his actions before the attack were revealed in the subsequent investigation. An avid user of internet messaging sites, Kat? had described his intention to kill beforehand online. Live posting from his mobile phone, he revealed his plan for the bloody massacre piece-by-piece on his way to the scene of the crime. Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akihabara_massacre#The_incident http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/02/02/national/crime-legal/death-sentence-confirmed-akihabara-rampage-killer/ http://www.ibtimes.com/japan-denies-appeal-tomohiro-kato-who-was-sentenced-death-stabbing-7-2008-1802194 http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2010/01/29/national/kato-sorry-for-akihabara-massacre/#.Vx3oxBgdzq0 http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-pacific-12844673 http://www.japansubculture.com/akihabara-massacre-preventable-tragedy/ http://murderpedia.org/male.K/k/kato-tomohiro.htm

In the first episode of the True Crime Japan Podcast we cover the case of Masumi Hayashi and the Wakayama Poisoning Incident. On July 25, 1998 the residents of the Sonobe district of Wakayama Japan were celebrating their annual summer festival, but that year’s event would be tragically different. Locals quickly began exhibiting signs of acute poisoning. Ultimately, four people would be killed and 63 others would suffer from severe arsenic poisoning, traced back to a communal pot of curry (yes, Japanese curry) prepared in shifts by local volunteers. The crime would shock this sleepy village and the broader nation of Japan, and be seen as a betrayal of trust and community values that no one expected. Still the public was left even more confused when police named their suspect as Masumi Hayashi. How could this unassuming housewife and mother of four be responsible for one of the most heinous crimes in Japanese history? In this episode we dive deep into the case, and things are not what they initially seem. Sources: http://www.joc.com/homemaker-suspect-japans-insurance-murders_19981215.html http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1999/11/22/poison-4 http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2011/08/26/food/curry-its-more-japanese-than-you-think/ http://japanesecurry.weebly.com/history--origin.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masumi_Hayashi_%28poisoner%29 http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2006/11/16/news/courts-ignore-reasonable-doubt-lawyers/#.Vw6183DXerW http://www.joc.com/homemaker-suspect-japans-insurance-murders_19981215.html http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1999/11/22/poison-4 http://web-japan.org/trends98/honbun/ntj981102.html http://murderpedia.org/female.H/h/hayashi-masumi.htm https://books.google.co.jp/books?id=Jl2EuFEou6cC&pg=PA457&lpg=PA457&dq=wakayama+poisoned+curry+incident+women+criminal&source=bl&ots=ueI9onI6NP&sig=KzP3ztJ-MDsrSrX4FDHlMDu-SAo&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiq9PXXj4rMAhWEX5QKHUXhCrkQ6AEIPTAG#v=onepage&q=wakayama%20poisoned%20curry%20incident%20women%20criminal&f=false https://web.archive.org/web/20090422161951/http://mdn.mainichi.jp:80/mdnnews/national/news/20090421p2a00m0na009000c.html http://www.japantimes.co.jp/2004/06/19/announcements/hayashi-breaks-silence-over-wakayama-curry-poisoning/#.VxCY8hgdzq0