Two 17-year-old boys who were arrested along with an 18-year-old boy Friday on suspicion of killing a 13-year-old boy in Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture on Feb 20, said Saturday that they did not take part in the killing.
Police said the two boys admitted being at the murder scene on a bank of the Tama River, but insisted it was the 18-year-old who stabbed Ryota Uemura in the neck several times, NTV reported.
The three, who were sent to prosecutors on Saturday morning, were part of a gang of young people aged 12 to 20, of which the 18-year-old was the reported leader.
Police searched the residences of the three on Saturday. The 18-year-old has repeatedly said he doesn't want to talk about the murder, police said.
Meanwhile, police revealed that records on the messaging app Line showed that a member of the gang contacted Uemura on the night of Feb 19, telling him to come out and meet them, NTV reported.
The three suspects were identified through street surveillance camera footage that showed them and another boy walking with Uemura toward the spot where he was murdered. Footage showed them walking back without Uemura.
An autopsy revealed that Uemura was killed at around 2 a.m. on Feb 20. He had been stabbed several times in the neck, face and arms. Police found a blood-stained box cutter not too far from the body, which was one of the weapons. The victim’s clothes and shoes had been burned in a nearby public toilet.
© Japan Today
47 Comments
Login to comment
CrazyJoe
I hope the suspects are indicted as adults and not referred to family court. The three should be tried as adults in a district court.
Disillusioned
This is kind of off topic, but one of the British newspapers is calling this an IS inspired murder and that the offenders may have been influenced by the recent beheadings of the two Japanese hostages. Personally, I don't think it has any relationship to this case, but the international news is playing it up big time!
Link: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2971587/Japan-police-arrest-teen-IS-inspired-killing.html
buchailldana
The daily mail.. Should see what they write at the time if 3/11. They are a disgrace. As to the actual crime it's very lord of the flies no?
Yubaru
Accessory to murder, oh and these two could have stopped it as well.
Pukey2
Disillusioned:
Remember, this is the Daily Mail we're talking about.
Elbuda Mexicano
The Islamic State murder videos of Kenji Goto, Haruno Yukawa etc..are on everybody's minds here in Japan and I think that their is NO DOUBT that these stupid young Japanese fools must have looked up those videos on YOUTUBE and thought, "Hey, wouldn't it be cool to kill somebody just like they did on them Islamic State YouTube videos?" and they found their "PERFECT VICTIM" the younger, weaker junior high school boy, Uemura. RIP and may your killers BURN IN HELL!
igloobuyer
Japanese media have been suggesting the same - pretty sure they would have started and the international media followed. It wouldn't surprise me.
Yoshimi Onishi
As another parent, I've been thinking how I would feel and what I would want to do if it had happened to my son. Would I be satisfied if those "boys" (do they still deserve to be called "boys"?) were given a sentence of, say, ten years in prison? Or even life in prison?
WilliB
Disillusioned:
The UK media just wants to sell copy. There is nothing "IS inspired" here; these thugs probably don´t even know what IS is.
Disillusioned
I am fully aware the Daily Mail is a notoriously famous tabloid and is well known for its exaggerated articles. However, the point is, it is out there on the WWW and sheeple will believe it! I know he is just some crazed thug with delusions of grandure, but the rest if the world doesn't.
cevin7
I'm at a loss for words. I just can't find any words to describe how sad this incident is. I just feel sorry for those being involved in this tragedy. I really want something to be done which analyzes "root causes" of this kind of incident.
smithinjapan
Disillusioned: " but one of the British newspapers is calling this an IS inspired murder and that the offenders may have been influenced by the recent beheadings of the two Japanese hostages"
I'm also sure it's unrelated, although they may have simply got the idea for 'beheading' from the recent news, but you COULD say this is a good reason why educators shouldn't be exposing such videos or material to children as part of public education. Just a thought.
In any case, I hope they are all tried as adults. What does these two nimrods think is going to happen by simply saying "Yeah, we went with him, and stood by and watched it happen... but... uhhh... we had NOTHING to do with it"? they are, at MINIMUM, accomplices to murder! And this is... what... the third time youths have murdered others this month? Are they finally going to start doing away with the 'need to reform' such people and rightly throw the book at them? They should! It was clearly premeditated on top of everthing else. And as for the 18-year-old punk 'leader', I can't believe the "I don't want to talk about it" isn't getting a stronger response by police and interrogators? Please lock this kid up for life!
crazyforgirls
2channel has all their pictures and names. My wife found them this morning. They all look like punks looking for trouble to me. I just can't image what terror this young boy was feeling as they beat him to death.
TokyoLurker
how can this IS inspired when they are not even muslims, and even consider them radical muslims?
...wasn't there a case like one on sasebo? good thing they didn't said it was IS inspired too
100 CPM
@crazyforgirls, and Yoshimi Onishi lets hope the next crew dont take out the kid, whose parents or loved ones aint having it. It could turn out like Ferguson....
badsey3
They are saying it was Isis "media" related because it seems from the cuts they were trying to decapitate this young boy.
Japan has suicides all the time => why is this one being reported? And is the media reckless in reporting crimes such as this knowing that there a few that may try to copy it?
In this case I don't really think the media is reckless because the people involved were all young with futures ahead of them. And the police/media really need to get to the bottom of these heinous type crimes that threaten the future culture of Japan especially with a population that is continually falling.
Do people copy these type of crimes? Absolutely --> if you live in a big city where people jump to their deaths from tall buildings, -go to that same place the next day and if it is open to the public you will see a few people there and also a police presence. =The police absolutely know that the probability for people to try the same behavior is very high and act accordingly.
Does this totally explain the amount to bankers jumping to their deaths? => No.
Yubaru
Wannabes?
WilliB
Now the rats are biting each other. Fact is, they are all guilty.
LaWren
They need to be tried as adults and be subject to the death penalty if the judge so decides.
Tessa
I know how you feel. This case has been haunting me, probably because some of my students are around the same age, and if anything like this happened to any of them, it would break my heart. Poor little Ryota. I can't stop thinking about how very terrified he must have felt at the end of his life.
I know. We have to remember (although it's not easy) that the perpetrators were the same age as their victim only a few short years ago. What happened to them to make them turn out the way they did?
LaWren
Bad parenting, Tessa, or a lack of parenting in my opinion. A harsh society which has no room for those who are different or weak, and rewards the strong conformist. The boys that murdered Ryota need to pay for the hurt they have caused to Ryota, his family and to society as a whole.
DaDude
The only one who would get death is the one holding the knife. In another Asian countries though, all 3 would probably get death. As I said before, I really hope someone leaks the photos of these fools and maybe even addresses so that they will never live in peace upon release.
LaWren
Ok Da....if they can prove only one of them actually did the cutting, fine. But life in prison for the pathetic little boys who sold out the one they decided was going to take the fall for it.
bjohnson23
I read through many of the posts with most blaming the boy entirely for their actions, but I have to disagree in part because the parents simply failed to be parents. Most people may not know this, but in Japan the parents are responsible for their kids and any actions kids perform. With as tiny homes here in Japan and the parents weren't aware of what was going on with their kids under their noses? Please, if the parents are pleading innocence its' because their necks on are on the line. People think that by having kids and then sending them to school, paying for their tuition, uniforms and meals, sending them to jukko and attending a few PTA's makes them a parent. Well sorry but that is only part of being a parent. A good parent gets involved with what is going on in the child's life, school and the kinds of friends as well as knowing the child's friends parents or background. Are kid's perfect from telling lies or keeping secrets, yes but a good parent who knows their child very well can find out quickly without intruding on their child's personal space. More than half of the school knew the 18yr old was in a gang, and the decease himself had tried to join. Yes kids don't always tell parents but an aware parent knows what is going on with their kids.
therougou
Well if he really did it and is the gang leader, he deserves to take the fall. The others may have been pressured into it, not that it excuses them.
itsonlyrocknroll
Culpability......the state of guilt and/or responsibility, without prejudice. If all three were present all three should shoulder responsibility.
NYtoday
This part, I agree. The father of group leader A (18) says to the media that A was home with his family at the time of murder. I am very curious to find our if this statement is true. The media reported boys being captured in several surveillance cameras nearby crime scene as well as with phone (Line) records as the reason for arrest.
Those families were very quick to guard up with lawyers as well. On NHK, the camera caught A and his lawyer in a backseat of the car, chatting with relaxed smile. A has been refusing to talk—that says a lot, though.
Wc626
No, wrong. Murder = the killing of a human being commited by another human being with malice aforethought. Their mere presence alone doesn't weigh them as culpable as the ONE who actually slashed the victim's neck. Unless the other boys acted in concert with the primary suspect AS he actively slashed the victim.
B.B.Q.Demon
If these pieces of trash get off with just a slap on the wrist, juvenile court type punishment, I hope the people in Ryota's family track them down, on their release,and go vigilante on them.
GPJP2008
If you are in this group & this is occurring before your eyes there are three choices only:
say this is enough this is wrong, I don't agree with it stop! (and extreme would be physically try to stop it) this is wrong, this is not me, I'm leaving - leave. A strong person leaves early. you stay, you are part of the group, you have limited control on the situation or none you think. You say little or nothing.What do you think occurs?
in most places in the world? specifically in Japan?So so sad.
The 18yo is garbage of Society, is probably mentally deranged and in the context of Japan alone perhaps is a bizarre aberration & extreme of the bullying culture here. Hearing more about supposed motivation of the murder would help... but only a little for people reaching for explanation, not for the poor little guy or anyone in his life.
Wc626
B.B.Q Demon. Shhh- gave the high thumbs, but Japan doesn't really think like "vigilantes." What we should really hope is that Japanese (at all levels) squarely confront these issues constantly plaguing their society.
danalawton1@yahoo.com
I'd be interested to know find out if crime by adolescents has been on the increase, decrease, or little change, for the last two decades?
kitzrow
Good things usually do not happen at 2 a.m. Did the victim's parents know where there son was at this hour?
Yubaru
This is a heck of an assumption and often times while it's true it is not safe to automatically blame the parents for these guys actions.
There are plenty of "good" kids from bad homes and vice versa, a bigger problem is society, and you have it wrong about Japan too, there is room for the different and weak.
JoeBigs
It isn't just the Daily Mail that is reporting this...
http://www.ibtimes.com/japan-police-arrests-teenager-over-suspected-isis-inspired-murder-schoolboy-1830390
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/three-teenagers-arrested-brutal-jihadi-5240894
http://rt.com/news/236111-japan-isis-inspired-killing/
So, this story may not be a tale.
It's easy, psychopaths think alike.
toshiko
****It is obvious UK tabloid thinks beheading started by ISIS. Until Meiji Ishin, beheading punishments were in Japan. Uchikubi (beheading), then sarashikubi Idisplays of head). Sometimes, someone stole head and enshrineed somewhere else. Read Shinsengumi story. Isami Kondo's head was stolen by. Hijikata and enshrined in Aizu (fukushima ken now). There are too many stories in Japan's history of feudal era.
kinakosweets
I've been reading comments and links posted on 2ch (I know, I know ::sigh::).
One site made the bold conclusion that this is all because Ryota is from Shimane, which claims Takeshima/Dokdo Islands and those in the group wanted revenge. I suppose I shouldn't write the ethnicities of those thugs since it hasn't been confirmed by the police, but that's where 2ch is going with this crime. I personally think those thugs couldn't find Kawasaki on a map, let alone Takeshima and Shimane ken.
I do hope that if the Diet is so busy trying to lower the voter age to 18, they'll also lower the age where you can reveal the names of suspects and criminals.
nath
If this truly is ISIS inspired, it's one more reason why teachers shouldn't be showing images of people getting killed by ISIS in their classrooms.
My wife found them as well (though on a different site I believe). There was more information as well - it appears they may have beat someone into unconsciousness in Yokohama a few weeks (months?) earlier as well.
Stewart Gale
The Daily Mail, who ran the ISIS story is a sensationalist, garbage publication. I wouldn't read too much into anything they print.
JoeBigs
This notion of an ISIS inspired beheading attempt started with an unnamed source close to police and not anything the police have actually said.
My personal opinion is we don't know all the facts and should wait until they come out rather than jumping the gun.
Here is another link
http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2015/02/islamic_state_copycats_coming_soon_to_a_country_near_you.html
One more time, this story wasn't just running in the Daily Mail, it is running in many international news outlets.
http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/japan-police-arrest-teen-for-is-inspired-killing/ar-BBi1YmW
http://www.smh.com.au/world/teenager-held-for-isinspired-murder-in-japan-20150227-13r5yc.html
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-02-27/japan-police-arrest-teen-for-brutal-killing-of-ryota-uemura/6270322
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/japan-police-arrest-teen-inspired-killing-074248017.html#Jd3wV8T
The list goes on and on and on and on, so the Daily Mail was actually reporting what everyone is reporting.
misspiggy
Sadly, this type of crime occurs time to time. I would like to ask the people around the murdered boy, "Didn't you notice any signs from Ryota that he is suffering and needs help?" Some of them might say, "Well he said he's OK." Of course he doesn't want to admit that he's suffering. Under this kind of circumstance, I think it is OK for people to be more nosey and try to find out what is really happening, before something really tragic happens.
Yubaru
.
People noticed, but sadly nothing was done. The boy had been beaten up by these thugs previously as well and even went so far as to tell a friend that he thought they were going to kill him.
Society, school, maybe his family and friends too failed him as well.
WilliB
yubaru:
There wasn´t much family. Dad was divorced and gone, mom was working night shits to make a living. The kid was on his own. The school, yes, they should have gotten more involved. Sadly, they usually do not in Japan. Remember the countless stories where teachers sat on their butt doing knowing while fully aware that bullying was going on? And in this case, the bullying was from an outside group, so even harder for the school to so something.
Yubaru
Excuse me? Japanese schools are the reverse,they get involved in ways that boggle plenty of peoples minds.
That is something different and believe me it's case by case, when it is something that could embarrass or cause problems for the school there is group amnesia, this is different, the teacher tried over 30 calls and a visit.
His friends evidently never told anyone in authority about his problems.
Samantha Zoe Aso
There have been cases of beheadings in Japan previously, I seem to remember. Whether ts was 'inspired' by ISIS or not, doesn't diminish the horror or repulsion of the crime. That poor boy.
WilliB
It seems the murderer is Korean/American... The media can not mention that because of the sacred "youth" status, but channel 2 and the like are ripe with comments.
DAWGG
Is this Japan or Honduras?