crime

80-yr-old man held after keeping wife's body in freezer for 10 years

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© 2012 AFP

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Everybody I talk to outside of Japan is under the impression that "family" is very important to the Japanese.... unfortunately... they are wrong. Food is important to the Japanese and creating the impression that all is well in Japan is important to the Japanese.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

'The grand-ma sleeping with your sashimi,'. Is that the same as 'sleeping with the fishes?'

0 ( +0 / -0 )

"he killed his wife... sometime between 2002 and 2006" Well, that narrows it down.

He's 80 year years and might have some kind of mental disability (senility, Alzheimer, etc.) so it might not be all that impossible that he can't recall the exact date. Some people that age can't even tell you what year it is.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

I was thinking the same thing at first about the brother taking so long to realize something was up. Then I realized a few things:

1) Someone commented, that it took 10 years for the brother to notice something wrong and call the police. The article says 'several years'. The husband says he killed his wife between 2002 and 2006, so let's say it was 2006, then it would have been 6 years of no contact between brother and sister (I know, that's still a long time without getting suspicious, but please hear me out in #2 and3)

2) The brother could have lived far away from the sister and could very well had been calling his sister, lets's say once a year to keep in touch, but, the husband who killed her could have told the brother over the phone that she was 'outside', or 'out shopping' or what have you, each time the brother called.

3) Judging by the ages of everybody involved, if the brother lived far away, he may not have been able to check up on his sister physically. Like I said in #2, all it would take is for the husband to tell the brother on the phone "Yeah, she's out shopping right now, but she's doing fine. Oh you know, her back bothers her sometimes, but other than that she's fine. I'll tell her you called".... It wouldn't cross most people's minds (including this brother), that "Hmmm... maybe my sister was killed by her husband".... at least for a while anyway, and keep in mind the ages of those involved.

Also to note, if the brother had any suspicion that his sister had passed away from old age and/or health reasons, he would assume (just as most people would, I think) that her husband would be the first person to notify him.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

what he did with the body afterwards is frankly a bit irrelevant by that point?

I don't think so. Even if she had died in her sleep, I'd find it newsworthy that a corpse has been stored during a decade in a food factory. The murder is serious, but that's a private affair. The grand-ma sleeping with your sashimi, that's a public scandal. Factories are never visited by sanitary services ? Not once in 10 years ?

Apparently, the woman had no friends who noticed her disappearnce.

Or they all though she had left him to go and live with her brother... namida so so... The thing is most people don't dare asking after an "apparent divorce". I know people (and not only in Japan) whose mother always seemed to be a widow, and as I'm Miss Blunder, one day, I have to ask : "Too sad your Dad couldn't be at your wedding. He died young, isn't it ? ...you don't know if he is dead or not ? ...oki, oops sorry, I didn't want to reopen that case."

1 ( +1 / -0 )

this is a country that believe if there's no telephone call from relatives ..they are doing fine with no problems! crazy belief.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

"he killed his wife... sometime between 2002 and 2006"

Well, that narrows it down.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Yasukuni, the older generation are willingly stuck in their old ways; especially in a sleepy town like Kushiro.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

as the number of elderly goes up, I can imagine that there are more and more hidden bodies everyday, parks closets freezers...makes me sick

-3 ( +0 / -3 )

I wonder if there's ever been a power outage at least once in ten years for any length of time. Then the body would have started melting and started to smell really bad. Wow! Sick to say the least!

0 ( +0 / -0 )

This is more disgusting that anything China (for example) has been doing with the food exported to Japan.

I prefer it to melamine and pesticides thank you. There is a great deal of difference between sickness caused by a psychological ingredient and a poisonous one.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

"It's pretty common for family members to go without contact for a while. Especially between stubborn family members."

I realize it happens. But maybe it's time people at least sent a card once a year or just made a courtesy phone call - and then check up in you don't get an answer after 3-5 years at least.

Anyway, Japanese old people are starting to scare me the more i hear and read about them. With all the pickpocketing, murdering and then the way some women can never leave home because the parents (or worse, their husband's parents) insist on particular food at particular times. And the older people get the less they seem to care about road safety and obeying rules too.

I thought wisdom and patience came with old age?

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Police searched the factory after the dead woman’s brother said he had not been able to contact his sister for several years.

So when did the brother report it? Did he report it? If he did report it, is it that the police just now decided to search for her. Why didnt the brother just go to the house and look for her?

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Apparently, the woman had no friends who noticed her disappearnce.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

It certainly isn't the first time I've read about this kind of thing from this website. Maybe there should be a TV commercial or something suggesting for people contact family members or friends and report anyone who is missing. Then police might uncover a few more cases like this.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Soooo, let me get this straight. Wife's body stashed in company's deep-freeze and no other employee has noticed ?

Staff : "Eee ! Nanjyakore!? Yamada : "You saw nothing, big maguro dake!"

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

@ 70+ years of terrestial life what kind of murderous argument does a couple have? didn't these people survive WWII?

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Frungy,

Not only what you said is correct but also the bit where they sensationalize the way victims are killed or where the corpses are kept, all along playing this ridiculous "dramatic music" on the background, giving you the feeling of how much the japanese media enjoy this dark, creepy nonsense. It seems to me they do really get off on stuff like this. Very tasteless and disrespectful if you ask me.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

ha, ha, Frungy... I gave up on trying to figure out these articles. Welcome to Japan!

0 ( +0 / -0 )

agree with Bob Sneider and nihonjinsurfer. some families have strong relationships whereas others have none. I wonder why the brother decided to reach out to his sister after all these years. Perhaps he found God?

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

... Why does the headline focus on keeping the body in a freezer? I mean surely the crime here is that he killed, and what he did with the body afterwards is frankly a bit irrelevant by that point? I keep seeing this in Japanese crime reports, where they charge people with illegally disposing of the body and seem to completely miss the entire murder thing... Seriously, wtf??

8 ( +8 / -0 )

So we have a brother that decides to say something after 10 years?

and...

We have a guy that can't remember when he killed somebody? (Somewhere between 2002 and 2006?)

Something sounds fishy...literally

10 ( +9 / -0 )

has come no one notice she was missing !?!

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Police searched the factory after the dead woman’s brother said he had not been able to contact his sister for several years.

Ah Kizuna. Those wonderful bonds. Yep, family is indeed the most important thing in this country...

Now, did he attempt to get her pension when she hit 65? Love that he can't remember what year he killed her.

4 ( +6 / -2 )

It's pretty common for family members to go without contact for a while. Especially between stubborn family members.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

So after 10 years relatives make a report? Why so longgggg??

3 ( +3 / -0 )

with all these recent news of bodies being found, Japan has really been established as a country where you could go missing and noone will notice for years

7 ( +8 / -1 )

And this guys runs his own fish factory??

-2 ( +2 / -4 )

If this guy walk off free there really are justice problems here. He confessed and obviously this was premeditated. And he is also obviously insane if he can even remember what year he murdered his wife.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

How many years would it take you to get worried if you couldn't contact your own sister?

16 ( +16 / -0 )

sad, but things must go on (anticipating suspended sentence), just revise life expectancy data.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

"abandoned her body in the freezer at his working place".

So is there the slightest chance I have had fish that has been kept in the same freezer with a human corpse? This is more disgusting that anything China (for example) has been doing with the food exported to Japan.

Excuse me while I go to throw up my breakfast...

4 ( +9 / -5 )

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