crime

American man arrested over murder of wife at Tokyo Family Court

54 Comments

The requested article has expired, and is no longer available. Any related articles, and user comments are shown below.

© AP/KYODO

©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.

54 Comments
Login to comment

The comments here are perplexing.

A woman was viciously and savagely murdered.

We no nothing else; This is just awful. Very sad story. No one deserves to be butchered this way.

14 ( +15 / -1 )

My understanding is family court is also used to resolve divorces even if the couple doesn't have children. Am I mistaken about this. Certainly the article doesn't mention kids.

11 ( +11 / -0 )

That poor woman lost her life to a man who could not believe she didn't belong to him.

Girls fall for bad boys. Sometimes it comes to this.

This really does reflect an appalling attitude, doesn't it. Equating 'bad boy' behaviour - cheating, not paying back money, stealing your cat - with murder. Waving it aside with an 'it can't be helped' attitude. A woman was brutally murdered. People need to stop making excuses for domestic violence.

. . .

I don't know if it was this particular family, but as another poster above said, a man posted in community groups on FB last year, saying he was looking for his wife and son who had disappeared, he said. He posted a photo of his wife who, he said, was mentally unstable. He posted a video of him and a young boy, singing his 'favourite song', which was, most unnervingly, "Luka" by Michelle Shocked - a song about a victim of domestic violence. The man named his wife and child but gave no details about himself. Very suspect. Admin asked the person sharing this to remove it.

Do not share things like this - anyone who posts looking for someone close to them, or someone they knew 'years ago' but lost their address or whatever - it is suspect, not to be trusted, no good will come of it, and indeed you could find yourself enabling someone dangerous. Don't do it.

11 ( +13 / -2 )

He sought help on Facebook to look for his wife and son. I am guilty of sharing the request. I helped a murderer.

Sorry to hear that, it must be an awful feeling - even if you meant well. We hear so much about how foreign fathers are deprived of their children (and vice-versa). But this is a reminder that not all of those fathers are the saints they paint themselves as.

If it helps, he would have found them eventually even without your share.

9 ( +10 / -1 )

You are obviously people that are not aware of what it is like for fathers going through divorce, especially foreign fathers, in Japan. I am not making excuses for what he did, but I can understand his motivation.

Everyone has troubles, this guy resorted to murdering someone whom he was having troubles with. It's obviously very clear that as a human being, he was not fit to be with her, and the child was by far, significantly better off without him than with him.

Desperate times can drive people to do desperate things. It can cause them to not be in control their emotions.

If you aren't controlling your own emotions, who is?

We all have the responsibility to control our emotions to not murder someone. If you lose control, then it's your fault for losing control.

This guy is a murderer, and deserves zero sympathy, even if she was the worst wife ever. He removed any reason to give him sympathy when he decided murdering her was better than any other means. If his kid(s?) never see him again, they will be lucky.

8 ( +11 / -3 )

Poor woman. No wonder she was seeking a divorce.

7 ( +10 / -3 )

Many people seem to keep trying to justify his murder of her. Regardless of how you put it, this was clearly pre meditated murder. If he was having a hard time or he was thinking about his children, he clearly didn’t think about his children enough because he took away their mother and father.

This idiot was a monster and brutally killed her. There is no justification for his actions. He willingly brought a knife to court and stabbed her. There is no justification for premeditated murder.

7 ( +9 / -2 )

Some news stories are like Rorschach tests. They just bring out the deepest feelings in people that may have nothing to do with the story itself.

7 ( +7 / -0 )

Family Court is a pressure cooker for the father. It is designed to settle the "divorce" matter so it doesn't enter the actual court. There are 2 mediators who side with the wife and pressure the father to settle with his wife. there is no proof in the Family Court. The wife tells horror stories about the husband and the mediators believe her and try to shame the husband into accepting divorce on her terms,

Anyone who goes to Family Court should hire a lawyer because it is 3 against 1. It isn't fair at all to the husband/father. Even with a lawyer it becomes 4 against 1, but if it goes to the actual court he can begin to fight back.

The wife sets the tone in all of this if there are children.

5 ( +24 / -19 )

Rest in Peace to the poor woman.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

Japan’s system of divorce — and the terminal separation of child and parent (usually the father) that often sears the heart of a loving caregiver — unfortunately drives some to engage in horrific acts.

4 ( +12 / -8 )

Story isn’t clear if kids were involved, but I’d argue she was absolutely right to keep him away from them if this is the kind of man that he is. Clearly a dangerous individual who shouldn’t be around kids!

4 ( +8 / -4 )

I can tell you he is criminally liable for stabbing her and killing her

4 ( +6 / -2 )

Desperate times can drive people to do desperate things. It can cause them to not be in control their emotions. 

Those are excuses. He essentially orphaned the child he was supposed to love. I know the divorce situation can be horribly cruel to the fathers here, but he loses any sympathy when he murders his child's mother. He has caused irreversible tragedy all around, not least to his child.

I was acquainted, incidentally with a man who murdered his wife. I knew him since he was a kid. She was horrible to him, and it's no surprise he snapped. But he let it get to the point where he snapped. It wasn't easy for the kids (even though she was no great mother).

The most basic responsibility of any parent is their child's well being, at least in my opinion. And so, yes, this guy was obviously unfit to be a father. Sad all around, but there are no excuses.

4 ( +7 / -3 )

No system can make a Saint demented.

as bad as the system is, a child is without a mother and father and parents are without a daughter because an American stabbed his wife to death - and planned on doing so.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

Wow this got my attention, divorces can be very messy but woof stabbing her.....

2 ( +5 / -3 )

Does family court not have security setup as soon as you walk into court?

From the article:

The man... stabbed the woman in the neck near a security check at the entrance to the Tokyo Family Court at around 3:20 p.m.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

sigh...

pocketsful

2 ( +3 / -1 )

He killed his child’s mother. He’s scum.

And he’s made things harder for many men. Especially foreigners to see their kids.

He should have lived and waited.

If he couldn’t he should have written a letter and killed himself not his child’s mother.

2 ( +5 / -3 )

We don't know from this article whether the other parent's action (the husband's) was due to the action of his wife.

What we know from this article is that their child has lost one parent (mum) due to the action of his dad.

Whatever the reasons are, this is sad, I hope their child has loving grandparents/aunts/uncles/cousins, etc.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Why are people defending the father because of Japan's justice system??? Domestic Violence is prevalent world-wide even in Western Countries where there are more rights and education about violence against women, however Japan and Hong-Kong are highest in the world for female homicides.

"On average, a woman is killed by her intimate partner or ex-partner every three days in Japan." - come on men of Japan and the world, women are your grandmothers, mothers, sisters and friends, you need to spread the message that Domestic Abuse is not right.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Damn. Violent. Poor lady.

1 ( +8 / -7 )

This is literally the first time I have heard of something like this happening in Japan. I mean, I've heard of "messy" divorces between international couples here, but nothing like this.

Obviously there was a reason why a divorce was underway and it may well be tied to the suspect's underlying behavior.

1 ( +4 / -3 )

Erratum:

stealing your cat -

:D I meant car, of course. Or did I? I would be enraged if someone stole my cat, but the car is insured.

But I would not wait for them with pocketfuls of weapons and stab them in the neck.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

In the Western legal tradition, if he is crazy -- however defined -- he is not guilty of murder. Because he lacks the mental state necessary for murder.

Of course. If this guy unable to tell the difference betwen right and wrong, which is a definite possibility, then he'd be insane, not guilty.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

woops

And that is an issue here, as the article clearly states "Police said they will investigate whether he [the husband] can be held criminally liable."

Many here seem to have not read that. It's unusual for the police to say something like that, which makes me suspect the police recognize the husband is acting 'mentally unstable." And that means we ay have a complex tragedy involving an undiagnosed mental illness resulting in a needless death.

And this would not be the first time an 'unusual' person from a Western nation moved to Japan and ended up dying or killing because of an undiagnosed serious mental illness. Both happened in Kobe in the 1990s. I knew a guy who was clearly weird and getting weirder, but no one really cared because we were all young and a bit crazy ourselves. ( From Suma Beach in the summer to Tennoji in December -- Kansai was one giant play-land) Anyways, he hung himself from a bridge. His brother popped up claiming murder, but we all knew the dude was off his rocker. Same kind of thing happened just before I arrived. There was another guy who was heading that way and because of the previous two instances me and a few other aniki gajin stepped in and got the fellow back stateside to get the help he needed.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Desperate times can drive people to do desperate things.

There is no justification for this. This was murder; plain and simple. I know a few foreigners who have divorced in Japan, but they never let it get to them and moved on with their lives. In fact, the two men I personally know who have divorced with kids, have found new girlfriends and still have time to spend with their kids on the weekends or days off.

On the flip side, I've heard of several divorced men in other countries, like the U.S., who have flipped and killed his ex-wife and kids. Does that mean the divorce system in those countries are whacked too? IMHO, most of the blame lies squarely on the perpetrator. Becoming an alcoholic, depressed, or withdrawn, is one thing. Resorting to murder is totally uncalled for and should not be acceptable.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Divorces can be very messy or fairly painless. Just depends on the couple involved and how dirty they are willing to be towards the other person, especially when child custody is being decided.

0 ( +7 / -7 )

I wonder if kids were involved. The lack of joint custody laws and property settlements in Japanese divorce cases make it a very ugly business.

0 ( +5 / -5 )

We don't know all the details. He got desperate and snapped unfortunately.

As usual, some take the man's side over the victim. And if it had been the woman who killed the man, they would have called for her to be hanged. How about the desperation of the murdered wife, Kyoko Wilson? As Maria rightfully says, people need to stop making excuses for domestic violence.

0 ( +3 / -3 )

Tragic.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Strangerland

Thanks for the reply. It seems clear to you and me, but not for many.

BTW

Not being able to distinguish between right and wrong is one test for legal insanity. So is hearing voices from Paemon that compels the clearly insane to commit an act he or she knows is wrong. I intentionally avoided getting into the vast gray zone of what-is-insane-and-when-does-that-insanity-preclude-legal-guilt discussion and divert it towards the clear end of that spectrum: if someone lacks the mental capacity -- however defined -- for murder, then that person is clearly not guilty of murder.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

“I know a few foreigners who have divorced in Japan, but they never let it get to them and moved on with their lives.”

some of us haven’t see our kids for years.

Some mothers too. It’s horrendous.

everyone has a different story. If you both agree on divorce and get to see your kids it’s totally different.

I don’t doubt this man was going through hell.

But he has made it worse for everyone.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I don’t doubt this man was going through hell.

Or maybe he was causing hell. Remember, we're talking about a guy who went on to murder his wife. Not exactly what we would call non-violent, stable behavior. If we're going to base possible reasons the divorce maybe went south, based on the information we have, well the only information we have is that this guy was murderously violent. We have nothing to indicate the wife was... anything.

But he has made it worse for everyone.

He made it worse for himself, his wife, and his kid(s?). Now the latter are effectively orphans.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Very sad, unfortunately domestic violence and murders are all too common these days anywhere you go.

RIP

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

I see a few commenters on here saying words to the effect of “if he could do this he was obviously unfit to be with her, and that she was right to remove the child“. You are obviously people that are not aware of what it is like for fathers going through divorce, especially foreign fathers, in Japan. I am not making excuses for what he did, but I can understand his motivation. Desperate times can drive people to do desperate things. It can cause them to not be in control their emotions. Maybe he was “mentally unstable“ as the deceased said he was.

-1 ( +8 / -9 )

There are more and more young people signing prenups. I doubt a J wife will let you hand over cash everyone month like it’s her pocket money. 100% they’ll want know and they have a right to know your earnings and to see the statements.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

Keep your money in an account in your name ...

@Reckless This advice is a bit reckless. All property and savings acquired during marriage are divided equally upon divorce regardless of whether the husband or wife is listed as the owner. Having written that, the existence and location of the asset would need to be known by a claimant to make a claim.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

A greater understanding why this tradegy has happened is needed because a child lost one parent due to the actions of one parent, and now they have lost a second parent due to the actions of the other parent.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

He sought help on Facebook to look for his wife and son. I am guilty of sharing the request. I helped a murderer.

-2 ( +4 / -6 )

I definitely don't condone what happened to the wife, and it's hard to judge either side with so little information. However, I can't help but wonder what drove the man to commit this crime. As a married man in Japan, I can probably relate to some of what he has felt. And I have several friends who have experienced how ugly divorce can be here, especially when their Japanese wives weren't willing to cooperate. I've seen friends torn apart by their divorce, especially when children were involved. Their Japanese wives used lies and accusations to get exactly what they wanted, which was everything. There is no way for a foreign man to get custody of their children. I've seen men not only losing their homes, money and possessions, but also their children. Leading them to lose their sanity and jobs. It's not like back home where arrangements are fair, and both people come out of a divorce equally. Here, the Japanese wife gets it all, and the court will side with whatever they say. I'm a happily married man (At the moment haha), but the lack of control and options that I have here has hit me hard at times. And if my wife ever decided to leave me, I know I'd probably lose everything, including my sanity. Everyone has a breaking point, and when that happens, ideas like revenge and suicide become more likely.

Apparently, there are a lack of joint custody laws and property settlements in Japanese divorce cases, and courts usually side with the mother. I also read that the wife contacted the police in August, because she wanted it on record that he was mentally unstable. She then ran away with their child, leaving no way of him contacting her. It sounds very similar to something my friend went through, which led to him losing contact with his children for 2 years. He also lost his job due to taking time off to fight for custody.

-2 ( +6 / -8 )

He probably fell head over heals in love with the first English speaking Japanese woman he met. Could be temporary or permanently unstable, but it has the markings of a jealous meltdown.

-2 ( +3 / -5 )

Strangerland

In the Western legal tradition, if he is crazy -- however defined -- he is not guilty of murder. Because he lacks the mental state necessary for murder.

Japan has a similar view of it. Which is why the article states "Police said they will investigate whether he can be held criminally liable." [BTW Not liable. Culpable, Liable is civil., Culpable is criminal.]

I take it you disagree with the insanity defense? Or you disagree with it in this case?

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

Innocent by reason of insanity, as wife stated: “mentaly unstable”.

-3 ( +1 / -4 )

There's not much information available but according to other news sources the wife went to the police saying the husband had been acting unstable - what that means is anyones guess - he wasnt being abusive or violent according to her reports.

This guy could have "lost it" after finding out he may lose seeing his kid and thought he had nothing to lose.

-3 ( +2 / -5 )

Due to the inadequacy of Japans justice system (which can be enough to drive a Saint demented) a child has now been left without a mother and a father.

-3 ( +1 / -4 )

We don't know all the details. He got desperate and snapped unfortunately.

-4 ( +6 / -10 )

He killed his wife and slashed his wrists. Obviously he isn't feeling well and probably can't express himself well enough to "justify" anything , right now.

-5 ( +5 / -10 )

Girls fall for bad boys. Sometimes it comes to this.

-12 ( +1 / -13 )

Login to leave a comment

Facebook users

Use your Facebook account to login or register with JapanToday. By doing so, you will also receive an email inviting you to receive our news alerts.

Facebook Connect

Login with your JapanToday account

User registration

Articles, Offers & Useful Resources

A mix of what's trending on our other sites