On April 16, the two charred bodies found by the river in Nasu-machi, Tochigi Prefecture, Japan, were both of Chinese descent.
Case details:
On this month 16th, someone reported to the police, "Two people were found lying on the ground in an open space by a river in Nasu-machi, and they were on fire."
The Japanese police immediately rushed to the scene, and at this time, the abdomen of the body was still emitting flames.
However, the cause of death of these two bodies is not related to the fire. The police said: The two bodies found on the riverbank were bound with their hands, their faces were wrapped with tape, and the cause of their deaths was confirmed to be asphyxiation due to compression of the neck. One of the female bodies had a fractured skull, which should have been caused by being beaten multiple times with a similar blunt object, which means that the murderer had a stronger intention to kill the woman.
From the means of murder, the investigators believe that this is likely to be the work of "experienced personnel". Because binding the hands and feet, putting on bags and wrapping with tape and other actions require quite a bit of preparation to complete. In addition, there are kerosene cans and other items beside the body, which obviously indicates that this is a crime that has been planned for a long time. After being confirmed by the Japanese police, the victim is Takashima Ryuutaro (55 years old), who runs two companies in Ueno and owns more than a dozen stores, and the other female body is likely to be his wife (because the body is severely damaged, the identity cannot be confirmed for the time being).
"A merchant who owns two companies, Takashima Ryuutaro, is a well-known person in the Ueno area," said a male who also runs a catering business around Ueno Station. According to the man, during the epidemic period in Ueno shopping district, many merchants became difficult to operate, and sushi shops and bars in one area have withdrawn one after another. And Mr. Takashima saw this point, and he rented those vacant shops and opened 24-hour operating barbecue shops, Italian restaurants, sushi, and bars there. In the blink of an eye, almost all of the bankrupt shops in a corner of the shopping district have become Mr. Takashima's shops.
The man also mentioned that the Takashima couple originally were Chinese and obtained Japanese citizenship after staying in Japan for a long time, and there are also many Chinese among their employees.
So why would an ordinary merchant invite a fatal disaster?
Nearby businesses guessed that it might be related to the fact that the Takashima couple often made enemies. An employee of a neighboring store revealed that the Takashima's store often has disputes over attracting customers with nearby businesses, and even reached the point of calling the police. For Mr. Takashima himself, the employee said that he is an ordinary middle-aged male image and is not very eye-catching. But his wife has left a very deep impression on the employees of the neighboring stores.
"She is about 50 years old, slender, and wears very heavy makeup. She has a very irritable temper and often has disputes with competing stores. Three years ago, either she or an employee with her beat up a rival merchant and directly got involved in a legal dispute. After the event, for about half a year, there was a menacing-looking male like a bodyguard in front of the rival store. I think it might be to prevent the reoccurrence of disputes." The reporter learned during the interview that the Takashima couple live in a high-end apartment about a 20-minute walk from the managed store. Mr. Takashima always rides a bicycle to patrol the store, and then deposits the turnover in the bank.
Concerning Mr. Takashima's daily schedule, even the employees of nearby stores are well aware of it.
An employee of another store said, "I usually see him riding a bicycle to patrol around noon. I also see him around 6 or 7 p.m. in the evening, often with his wife, and occasionally his 20-something daughter will also come to help."
So, is it a feud or have the two been targeted by illegal elements? In the follow-up interview, someone told the reporter, "Mr. Takashima has a financial dispute, and he has always avoided taking some less populated alleys, probably already feeling the presence of danger."
However, it is not yet known whether this is related to the case. On the second day after the bodies of the Takashima couple were found, a 20-year-old man went to the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Station to surrender. The man said during the investigation, "I may be involved in this incident, but I have nothing to do with this murder case. I just lent my car to someone else."
The Japanese police said that before the discovery of the body, a suspicious black vehicle was captured by the nearby surveillance camera. Currently, the police have impounded this black vehicle with an out-of-town license plate and suspect that this vehicle is the vehicle used to transport the bodies in the crime.
At present, the Japanese police have not yet announced whether the impounded vehicle is the one borrowed by the self-presenting man. If it is confirmed to be the man's car, then the case should not be far from being solved.
Because the man who went to the police station to surrender voluntarily said during the investigation, "I originally wanted to come and surrender with several other friends…" The police believe that it is likely to be a case involving multiple people, but each person plays a different role in the case. And the several friends of the man may be suspected of abandoning the body.
At present, the Japanese police have started an investigation into the "several other friends" mentioned by the man.
