Police in Iwakuni, Yamaguchi Prefecture, said Saturday they have arrested a 50-year-old man on suspicion of murder after he fatally beat his 20-year-old wife with a fishing rod.
According to police, Masahiro Kono, who works as a taxi driver, called 119 on Friday morning and said he had beaten his wife on Thursday night and that she was unconscious and not breathing, Sankei Shimbun reported. The woman was taken to hospital where she was pronounced dead at 9 a.m. Friday.
Police said Kono, who was arrested Friday night, has admitted to the charge and said he hit his wife’s face and legs with the fishing rod at around 11 p.m. on Thursday after they had an argument.
© Japan Today
56 Comments
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Do the hustle
I’d guess it’s not the first time this thug had beaten his young wife. Sadly though, it’s definitely the last.
No doubt a lot of people are confused about how he could beat her to death with a fishing rod. The telescopic rods are quite a daunting club when not extended.
Randy Johnson
Domestic violence has long been a serious issue in japan but it never truly garners any attention.
JerseyDevil
"fatally beat his 20-year-old wife with a fishing rod"
I noticed that older j men in Japan, and asia have younger wives, especially in places like Shizuoka This is age distance is rare in America, mainly because the parents or the women's peers usually do not condone it, unless he's a bonified sugar daddy.
fuzzylogic
"he hit his wife’s face and legs with the fishing rod"
brutal...
pudus
@Bernard
"Too bad he won't serve real time in a proper prison."
Yeah they coddle their kind he''l be out in 10 yrs or less.
oldman_13
What is a 50-year old man doing with a 20-year old woman in the first place?
Clearly her very young age did not help matters in the relationship.
Anyways yet another poor Japanese woman murdered by her husband/boyfriend.
3RENSHO
"older j men in Japan, and asia have younger wives, especially in places like Shizuoka"
Are you able to provide an evidentiary link to back up your assertion?
gogogo
Wat a piece of human trash. Domestic violence in Japan is serious problem that is just accepted. Punishment is nothing for in murder inside families. This guy won't get more than 2 years because the judge will "understand" ... So bad!
sensei258
So he was 30 years old when she was a newborn baby, creepy
JJ Jetplane
@JerseyDevil
Many of these older men are farmers with mail ordered brides or arranged marriages.
commanteer
Nothing at all wrong with marrying a younger woman in a consensual relationship. If you prefer a woman your own age, more power to you.
Fighto!
This violent animal should be hung, his life is not worth anything. In fact it will cost taxpayers huge ¥ to keep him alive for 20 years.
Rest in Peace to the poor wife, just out of childhood. How she got mixed up with a violent and evil old man is tragic. Japan needs to do more about DV. it is one of just a handful of nations where more women are murdered than men.
Bugle Boy of Company B
I would love to have a 20 year old wife!
Vanessa Carlisle
Since there is no stat that is going to back up the idea that marital violence and murder are more common in a relationship like this than others, what's creepy is people making an issue of it anyway. Anyone finding this creepy well the problem is in their own head and nowhere else. What's wrong here is that he is violent trash that murdered his wife. It happens plenty in marriages of any kind you can think of. Also, its hardly unique in Japan. In fact, I would say its less common than my home country. I doubt yours is perfect either.
Meiyouwenti
JerseyDevil
“This age distance is rare in America, mainly because the parents or the women’s peers usually do not condone it”
Mind you, but in Japan, marriage is based only on mutual consent of both sexes.
JerseyDevil
@Meiyouwenti
"Mind you, but in Japan, marriage is based only on mutual consent of both sexes"
For Japanese only!
blue in green
Horrific.
Trying to imagine the force of blows it took to kill
a young, healthy woman, I don't want to.
A disgusting, despicable act, I hope this man
is given time enough time in stir, to suffer remorse,
if he has any in the first place.
David Michael Lockard
The guy is a loser at any age. Now he is is more trouble than he had before. Geesh.
Let's move on to the wife. Oh, we're in Japan... we can't support her or her family because we don't know her name ~
So yeah, maybe social networking needs an overhaul so support pages could be setup for actual support for actual humans...
Never mind.
It seems to be habitual error that wields "50 year old blah blah 20 year old" as news.
GW
Truly horrific, I hope this guy get some serious due in court & doesnt see the light of day again.
As a guy who loves fishing I just cant imagine how this went down.....RIP!!!!
Mickelicious
Vile.
commanteer
Most likely not. And I find it awful that he news media don't even see fit to report her name - as though she was a non-entity.
Btang
"Was this woman Japanese?"
her ethnicity will eventually be released
We know he is a taxi driver- and he can get a twenty, rare in the U.S. where money talks and b.s. walks
zurcronium
He should get a jail term equal to the life expectancy of his wife. At least 60 years.
memoryfix
Why do they put the ages of the two people? Because they want you to be more enraged because the man is much older?
Media!
jack o helen
First of all, the main point of this article is that a bad man beat his wife to death. He should be put in jail to rot for a the rest of his life for that, so he can't beat up anyone else.
Second, no, this in not only a Japan thing. I hear about domestic violence cases everywhere to varying degrees of violence. It's common in Japan, as it is in a place like the U.S. Unfortunately, it's an issue that needs to be addressed everywhere.
Third, the age gap should not be that big of an issue. Yes, I'd rather be someone with someone closer to my age, but I know many successful marriages where there is a large age gap. Age is just a number.
Kobe White Bar Owner
Regarding the age gap. Half the males age plus 7 years is a “descent” guideline.
bokuda
Mark my words: He'll get suspended sentence.
Ike-in-Tokyo-from-89
Good point. What kind of 50-year old man would seek the company of a 20-year old? If it was the reason I think, a doll as a “companion” would have been better.
Goodlucktoyou
Go to the gym, stop drinking, get help for your internet addiction, have disposable cash, you still have a chance. Just don’t take up fishing as a sport.
Antiquesaving
@JerseyDevil
Not sure what world you live in but I am going to guess a nice fairly well off city area or suburb in the USA.
I was raised in an area that has working class and a very Large low income section mostly caucasian often called white trash type.
30 years in. Japan know mostly Japanese people and I have known far fewer large age gap couples here than I knew back home.
Half the girls in my high school were dating men far older then they were.
Why because these guys could provide things their seriously low income families couldn't.
No few if any of these guys were good most involved in some sort of nefarious business.
Welcome to the real world.
JerseyDevil
@Antiquesaving
@JerseyDevil
The thing is, the robbing the cradle goes way back further than before America was even established, so its viewed as part of their ongoing culture (sic). AND they dont have to worry about the cops interfering in such an extraordinary peaceful relationship. But non Japanese usually cant indulge in such without obstacles and barriers-its an only japanese societal privilege.
That's as many have stated , dont be surprised if he gets a light sentence as compared to the US sentencing style.
ref:
https://www.jstor.org/stable/132182
btw they have temples and houses in Japan that over 600 yrs old and some much more older.
Gaijinjland
Not condoning murder. But u really shouldn’t be with someone old enough to be ur father. I call it the ten year rule. Either ten years younger or older
James Stowe
She's barely an adult and he's taken her life. He should be hung.
sourpuss
If she was 20, they must have only been married a short time. Just an observation.
This guy deserves a life sentence or maybe the death sentence.
Also, I guess I’m not the only one who hears alarm bells when there’s such a large age gap.
JJ Jetplane
Beating someone to death with a fishing rod is something only a monster can do. It would take a lot of strikes. I hope they make him suffer.
Antiquesaving
@JerseyDevil
Perhaps you need a history lesson or two in western culture.
Marrying of girls as young as 14 was still common practice in the west well into the 20th century that is until laws were enacted to stop the practice.
Jerry Lee Lewis married his 13 year old cousin, not uncommon where he was from in the USA that was 1957.
The scandal was not her age but being his cousin.
As for 600 year old temples and houses so does Europe, your point?
Ask why Irish and Irish Americans men often ended up married more than once and often to the younger sister of their late wife who more than likely died in childbirth.
This was not only the Irish but many more.
Perhaps less learning about Japan and Japan's faults and more learning the history the USA and Europe and not just how George Washington beat the British.
commanteer
Who other people marry is really none of your business. I married someone 20 years younger and we are into our 3rd decade. I know plenty of "age appropriate" couples that divorced in a fraction of that time.
Hawkeye
Sad story. Don't know their situation but she should have run out of their home to a neighbor or police box for help. As far as the age difference, I can't comment but there are plenty of spring/winter marriages that work as long as both parties are happy. Who beats their wife or children to death and for what reason? Hope he receives the full extent of the law for his crime.
8T
They are husband and wife. it is legal in Japan.
Goodlucktoyou
Death sentence is a crime in itself.
life in prison with a tracking devise. In the hot summer, cut the weeds on roadsides. In the cold winter, shovel snow. For life.
Ken Wyatt
@jerseydevil
I think you'll find that for the majority of couples, the husband is usually older.
All that matters is that he should locked up for murder.
JerseyDevil
@Ken Wyatt
"All that matters is that he should locked up for murder."
I agree but we all know how the j justice system works..(Ghosn)
I used to live in Japan for 25 yrs, but I left because the longer you stay, it all becomes clear.
Seen many bass ackward outcomes for many friends. During my last stretch I worked on base to keep my sanity.
JerseyDevil
@bokuda
"Mark my words: He'll get suspended sentence."
I agree...
saiaku
how does an old dirty taxi driver get a 20 year old girlfriend? smells like papa-katsu to me.
Dennis711
Let's keep the focus of this story where should be, if his wife was 50 years old would be just as dead. Domestic violence in Japan is a serious problem. Not the age gap.
Nippori Nick
Because it is a news story and you typically say something about the people involved..age is often given in news stories to set context.
Bugle Boy of Company B
I exercise regularly, don't drink, don't care about my internet addiction, have 15 million yen in the bank and have dated and biblically known 20 year old girls - the last one was last year when I was 45. Actually, I'd prefer to have a 20 year old girl friend than a 20 year old wife. Girls are not mature enough to be a wife at 20.
commanteer
You're off by 10 years.
Mark
Poor Girl, she is probably a mentally ill or desperate to find a place to live and survive is what made her live with a man 30 years older than her, at her age she could have lived with a man around her age or best friend.