Police in Tokyo have arrested an 81-year-old woman for failing to report the death of her ex-husband whose partially skeletonized body was found in an apartment on Monday.
According to police, Masae Suzuki said her former husband, who was in his late 70s, died in the apartment in Adachi Ward in March and that she didn’t have enough money to pay for a funeral, Sankei Shimbun reported. Suzuki moved out of the apartment which was scheduled for demolition.
The man’s remains were found in a closet by the building owner making a final check of the apartments before demolition work began.
Police said that Suzuki and her ex-husband were divorced about 20 years ago but had still been living together.
© Japan Today
20 Comments
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Hokkaidoboy
That happened to a man in his 40s last year (2020) or 2019. I can't remember well, but I do remember reading the news. I don't know, when the case of the man happened I thought lazy man, deserves a punishment ... now in this case... she's 81... I don't mean that what she did was right, but at 81, can "justice" be done? Would a punishment for this woman be a deterrent for future "body-keepers"? I'd like to see an analysis on that.
Kindest regards to all. Stay safe.
Mocheake
Talk about real skeletons in your closet itching to come outside! The owner was probably thinking there might be some old clothes, a belt, maybe a kimono inside but definitely an old man.
Mark
This must be the new TREND here.
Michael Machida
She did not receive any kind of benefits from her X husbands pension since they were divorced. What was the benefit?
Speed Racer
"She did not receive any kind of benefits from her X husbands pension since they were divorced. What was the benefit?"
A divorced woman in Japan actually can collect a portion of her ex's pension. Of course there's no mention of it in the article so we don't know if she did for sure.
Seesaw7
Sad story,
William Bjornson
What a TERRIBLE old age this woman has been enduring. I hope that none of the facile youth so easily mocking this woman do not, when in the extremity of age in which she now lives, find themselves in such dolor. It's coming folks, and now in the energy of the Spring or Summer or even Fall of their lives do not face such horror in the Winter of their lives as this poor, almost certainly completely terrified woman faces as even more difficulty than the ever more oppressive prison of age she has been trapped in for years now has made for her. Bless this woman for she may be, at some time in the future, you...ya just CAN'T know.
Alan Harrison
Seems to be a lot of instances of this in Japan. Surely it is a matter for Social Services rather than an arrest (especially of such elderly people).
Darius Black
A classic
JGhetto
@Michael: You need to look up and read about pension laws. Divorce these days guarantees 50% whether he is dead or alive, but if they negotiated, then he could have convinced her 10% or even 100% was in line with what they agreed on. His death has nothing to do with what she might be receiving.
Sven Asai
Only didn’t expect the final check before demolition…even with quite a wise age of 81 , errors are made in a presumably perfect crime like this one.
Sven Asai
No , @expat , when you are dead, you with highest possibility cannot do anything, neither bypass something nor intentionally go somewhere. You surely agree, don’t disappoint me. lol
sir_bentley28
Wow! Talk about "keeping up appearences"!
oldman_13
For benefits no doubt.
bokuda
Lots of people is keeping corpses at home.
Did the social services identified the problem yet?
CDNinJapan
Ms. Suzuki is the embodiment of the phrase, 'skeletons in the closet'!