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Japan
Country Intelligence Summary
49
Dec. 31, 2025
Top Motives and Outcomes in Japan
Top Motives
- Jealousy — 35 case(s)
- Revenge — 21 case(s)
- Control/domination — 17 case(s)
- Eliminate romantic partner — 14 case(s)
- Money / Financial Gain — 12 case(s)
Top Outcomes
- Arrest made — 42 case(s)
- Legal case ongoing — 32 case(s)
- Homicide during marriage — 30 case(s)
- Investigation still ongoing — 26 case(s)
- Deadbody recovery — 16 case(s)
State / Province Case Counts in Japan
9 case(s)
3 case(s)
3 case(s)
3 case(s)
3 case(s)
3 case(s)
2 case(s)
2 case(s)
2 case(s)
1 case(s)
1 case(s)
1 case(s)
1 case(s)
1 case(s)
1 case(s)
1 case(s)
1 case(s)
1 case(s)
Cases in Japan: Motive — Money / Financial Gain
Airi Sato Allegedly Murdered by Kenichi Takano, Takadanobaba, Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan
On March 11, 2025, at approximately 9:50 a.m., 22-year-old live streamer Airi Sato (broadcaster name 'Kami') was fatally stabbed over 30 times on a street in Takadanobaba, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, by 42-year-old viewer Kenichi Takano. Sato …
State/Province: Tokyo, Japan | City/Region: Takadanobaba, Shinjuku | Incident Type: Murder | Date: March 11, 2025
View DetailsHase Allegedly Murdered by Yahara, Kawamura, and others, Ebetsu City, Hokkaido, Japan
In October 2024, 20-year-old university student Hase was found dead in a park in Ebetsu City, Hokkaido, with severe trauma and stripped naked. Six suspects, including Yahara, Hase's girlfriend, and five friends, were arrested after …
State/Province: Hokkaido, Japan | City/Region: Ebetsu City | Incident Type: Murder | Date: Oct. 26, 2024
View DetailsYutaro Takashima and Nosako Takashima Allegedly Murdered by Wakayama Kito, Kyoko, and others, Tokyo, Japan
In April 2024, two burned bodies of a wealthy couple, Yutaro Takashima and his wife Nosako, were found in the mountains of Nasu Town, Tochigi Prefecture. Wakayama Kito, a former child actor, was arrested as …
State/Province: Tokyo, Japan | City/Region: Tokyo | Incident Type: Murder | Date: April 15, 2024
View DetailsMr. Takahashi and Ms. Kim Allegedly Murdered by Morales and Delacruz, Sumicho 3-chome, Tokyo, Japan
In January 2024, a married couple, Mr. Takahashi and Ms. Kim, went missing from their Tokyo home. Initially, police did not act urgently despite bloodstains reported by their son. Two days later, the couple's bodies …
State/Province: Tokyo, Japan | City/Region: Sumicho 3-chome | Incident Type: Domestic Violence Homicide | Date: Jan. 16, 2024
View DetailsHaruka Watanabe Murdered by Ms. A and Watanabe, Niigata City, Niigata, Japan
In 2021, nurse Haruka Watanabe and her one-year-old daughter were found dead at their home in Niigata City. Initially considered a suicide or accident, investigation revealed horizontal rope marks inconsistent with hanging. Haruka's husband, Watanabe, …
State/Province: Niigata, Japan | City/Region: Niigata City | Incident Type: Domestic Violence Homicide | Date: Nov. 7, 2021
View DetailsHusband Injured in Murder Attempt by Konishi Kota, Sakai Ryota, and others, Adachi, Tokyo, Japan
In August 2021, in Adachi, Tokyo, a wife named Takita allegedly hired a hitman through social media to murder her husband due to financial debts exceeding 10 million yen and deteriorating marital relations. The husband …
State/Province: Tokyo, Japan | City/Region: Adachi | Incident Type: Attempted Murder | Date: Aug. 7, 2021
View DetailsMizuki Miura, Sogonis Sogonishinaka, and others Disappearance Involving Takahiro Shiraisi, Zama, Kanagawa, Japan
Takahiro Shiraisi, a Japanese man born in 1990, exploited vulnerable individuals with mental health issues via Twitter by pretending to offer help to those contemplating suicide. He lured victims to his apartment in Zama, Kanagawa, …
State/Province: Kanagawa, Japan | City/Region: Zama | Incident Type: Murder | Date: Aug. 22, 2017
View DetailsKumiko Arai Allegedly Murdered by Matsuo and Ms. A, Akatsuka, Tokyo, Japan
In 2012, Kumiko Arai, a 34-year-old housewife in Tokyo, was found stabbed to death in her apartment after a break-in. The perpetrator, Matsuo, a nearby resident with a history of theft and financial struggles, broke …
State/Province: Tokyo, Japan | City/Region: Akatsuka | Incident Type: Murder | Date: Nov. 21, 2012
View DetailsHisashi Aota Allegedly Murdered by Kanako Aota and Takahashi Aki, Sanuki City, Kagawa, Japan
On October 31, 2010, Hisashi Aota, a 39-year-old company employee in Sanuki City, Kagawa Prefecture, was murdered by his wife Kanako Aota and her younger lover Takahashi Aki. Kanako and Takahashi planned to make the …
State/Province: Kagawa, Japan | City/Region: Sanuki City | Incident Type: Murder | Date: Oct. 31, 2010
View DetailsChairman's Wife Injured by Hiroshi Ogawa, Gunma, Japan
Hiroshi Ogawa, a former professional baseball player, fell into debt after retirement and committed violent acts in attempts to borrow money. On November 18, 2004, he assaulted the wife of the chairman of the industrial …
State/Province: None | City/Region: Gunma | Incident Type: Non-Murder | Date: Nov. 18, 2004
View DetailsKiyoshi Kinobuchi and his wife Ikuko Kinobuchi disappeared in Chiba City, Japan,
Kiyoshi Kinobuchi and his wife Ikuko Kinobuchi disappeared in Chiba City, Japan, in May 2001. The case remains unsolved and is treated as a missing person case with presumed homicide. An unidentified male suspect was …
State/Province: None | City/Region: Chiba City | Incident Type: Missing Person / Presumed Homicide | Date: May 19, 2001
View DetailsTsutomu Oyama, Himi Oyama, and others Allegedly Murdered by Kiyota Oyama, Hiroshima, Japan
Kiyota Oyama allegedly committed two insurance money murders in Hiroshima, Japan. The first victim was his uncle, Tsutomu Oyama, killed in 1998 after a violent argument and staged as a traffic accident. The second victim …
State/Province: None | City/Region: Hiroshima | Incident Type: Murder | Date: Oct. 11, 1998
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