crime

Man arrested after killing wife, 2 children in Osaka

56 Comments

A 42-year-old man was arrested for murder on Monday, after he walked into a police station in Osaka City and told officers he had killed his wife and two children.

Makoto Hamada, a chef and resident of Yodogawa Ward, walked into Sonezaki police station at about 4 p.m. and told officers he had strangled his wife, 15-year-old son and 12-year-old daughter. Police rushed to his home and found all three dead, and Hamada was arrested.

Hamada told police that losses on the stock market and other debts amounted to some 5 million yen and that he thought his family should die together. He was quoted as telling police that he strangled them to death while they slept, at around 2.30 a.m. Sunday morning.

Police said Hamada had inflicted cuts to his wrists, but was unsuccessful in his attempt to commit suicide.

© News reports

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56 Comments
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coward bastard!

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sad

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Another deranged family dynamic.

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unbelievable. ......cant...think....straight...rage boiling over...

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If he really wanted to die, probably jumping off a tall building would have been more effective than slitting his wrists. A cowardly act indeed. Such a tragic story.

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The beat goes on......

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HE thought that HIS family shoudl die together...guess what buddy? YOU not only didn't die, YOU don't own your family! Sick, just sick - and selfish.

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$50,000 debt is not so much

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That is an extremely traditional world view. Behaviour like this would have been the norm in the Meiji period, but today?!

Has this guy missed modernity with welfare state, personal bankruptcy laws, respect for individual life, and all that?

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money is the root of all evil

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Very sick and selfish bastard! He is not GOD! He did not make his wife! I feel so sorry for this murdered family! RIP! and for this evil man, I hope he burns, and burns in hell for all of eternity!

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They may have had their life savings in JAL stock.

He was quoted as telling police that he strangled them to death while they slept

I bet they didn't sleep. They would have woken and the final thing they would have seen is their monster father and husband in the ultimate act of betrayal.

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Very sad, I wonder why he thought debt was so important? Was money the only way he contributed to the family? No such thing as attempted suicide. If you fail, you werent really that into it. He is now eligible for the death penalty no though right? As you have to kill 2+ people for that in Japan I think.

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Love of money is the root of all evil

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just 5 million yen for the life of family?... tsk..tsk.

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anytime somebody kills a family member and claims they did it because they (the dead people) would be better off, they are full of utter crap.

This guy, in some twisted fashion, likely blamed his family for making him have to be some kind of bread winner, and therefore it was there fault that he was in so much debt and killed them out anger.

Most "normal" dudes when they can't support their family just bail, never to be heard from again.

This guy is a cowardly loser, through and through, and should be punished as much as the law permits.

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5 million is just $50,000 bucks. Heck, I owe $130,000 but I am not going to do my wife and kids in. That is crazy. He should have done the train dive.

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I just can't believe this. That poor family. Those kids friends. Man, this will be like hell for them all. I hope that guy doesn't get the death penalty. I hope he rots in jail till he dies.

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A disgustingly selfish and brutal act. I suppose some psychologist would classify this into some altruistic murder-suicide category but considering the man didn't succeed in killing himself, this is a triple homicide. If this man had simply swallowed his pride, his family would still be alive. In trying to avoid shame, he committed the most shameful crime one can imagine.

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Just another normal day in Japan. I would love to know the % of abnormal, unstable and just plain mentally screwed up individuals there are in this country.

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Draconian-Feudal Japanese Culture @ its best! When will j-people learn that this is not the bakumatsu period anymore?! or the meiji era... Shameless, extremely cruel and inhumane. This man does not deserve the death penalty, but to spend the rest og his low-pathetic life in prison.

I can't wait to read chotto and conbinibento's posts.

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I am so ANGRY just reading about this moron. FFS. Why didn't he just off himself and save his family the bother. The inability to deal with problems and asses the value of life itself just beggars belief. "Oh the shame, the eternal shame. Muzukashii (suck through teeth)"

he thought his family should die together.

Oh, well that's ok then, you mal-adjusted, emotionally undeveloped irrelevent scummy twat. I hope you rot in jail. THREE TIMES.

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A little insight to the Japanese mind regardign crime: My Japanese wife tells me that the law here is not so severe on people if they "keep it in the family." In other words, if you kill your kids or your parents it is much better than killing someone else's.

I am not saying I agree with this. I think murder is murder. But it does tell you somethign of the twisted logic they have when viewing crime and dishing out punishment for it.

He will probably get like 15 years or so.

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I can't get my head around the concept of 'I've failed and gotten us into trouble, I should kill all my family so that they don't suffer'. People who think they can do this need to look around them at the people who succeed despite a poor start. I know the Japanese approach is very different, but it's a slap in the face to your own children and family to say 'I don't think you're good enough to get us out of this one'. Who is he to decide? After all, he's the one that got them into the position! No judge of potential there.

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A chump's way out.

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Kyoko loves the word "draconian" eh? If this guy doesn't have the guts to kill himself, he never should have started with his family. I'm sure they would have found some way to get along with life without him.

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Love of money is the root of all evil

Not true. Lack of money is the root of a lot of problems.

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Arrested!!??? or Surrendered? I though he walked in.

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The poor kids, imagine what their lives could have been without this man, They never got a chance to live

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So it was due to debts that he killed his wife and children. If you spend money that is not yours, it is easy to get into debt.If the money was spent on some of the essential requirements of the family, education etc then the state should seriously consider doing something about it. But if the monies were spent on luxury stuff, and 'status symbols' then the people should take extra care at this time.

It is NOT a matter of pride when you have to ask for help. Is it not cowardice when you could not face the challenges of life and backed off by destroying your family?

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Selfishness is the root of all evil. Every evil deed is selfish in nature. The #1 problem of the human race.

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People like this SOB always get it wrong. They are supposed to do themselves before they do the relatives.

This is a shocking tragedy.

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Thats why i am for suicidals. At least they dont take others with them. I applaud the 30,000 suicides a year for not taking others in such evil crimes. They should actually put out a new "campaign" on how to off oneself without being selfish (delaying trains) or cruel (taking others!)

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What's with the "Death is the answer to my problems" mindset? If you can't handle your responsibilities anymore, just walk away. Why do you have to kill (your family or yourself)? I bet if you asked them first, they'd pack your bags for you and wave goodbye from the from porch.

And the slight cuts to the wrists are only the result of a "suicidal gesture". The difference between attempt and gesture is attempts are meant to succeed, while gestures are meant to gain sympathy. Fricken coward, do yourself first.

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It's really a shame that some people think this way and commit murder and suicides, but it's also a shame so many people on this site think that only Japanese do it. Last year or the year before a man in California did the same exact thing but with a gun and he successfully committed suicide. The problem is not the country it's noticing the signs early and doing something about it for yourself or family or friends.

So sad though, if he doesn't get the death penalty he will sit in jail regretting what he did for the rest of his life I hope, it was very selfish of him to think they couldn't survive without him.

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He projected his shame and self loathing onto his family and was a coward. To think his family could have gone on and enjoyed life without him so he wanted to take everything he "owned" with him. Of course he couldn't man up and do the deed when it came to his turn.

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If you are going to commit family suicide start with yourself.

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"A little insight to the Japanese mind regardign crime: My Japanese wife tells me that the law here is not so severe on people if they "keep it in the family." In other words, if you kill your kids or your parents it is much better than killing someone else's."

You know what dude... We don't care... keep it to yourself...

There's no fricken excuse for killing your family and precious kids, NONE AT ALL.

This kind of thing stems from lack of common-sense and morals.. They don't exit in Japan.

If you want to kill yourself.. Fine, have at it, one less loser running around MY country, breathing my air, but you don't have the right to kill women and children!

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bicultural at 01:13 PM JST - 26th January

Kyoko loves the word "draconian" eh?

Because Japan is indeed DRACONIAN. It's an undefeated FACT. This article is another fine example of it.

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Knowing how archaic, shameless and senseless the J-judicial system is, this "beast" will get trial with a bunch of inaka farmers as lay jury and gain their sympathy (thanks to the wrist scratches)which will get him 7, 10 years tops. The worst case-scenario would be if his lawyer will get him acquitted after pleading insanity. It happened before, and it may happen again, this is japan after all, shoganaine!

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Kyoko: Actually, I don't think this article is a good example of 'draconian'. Draconian suggests someone/society who is being particularly harsh or cruel because of their severe rules or laws. This man certainly was cruel but his actions weren't based on any rules or strict code; they were based purely in selfishness and shame.

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mindovermatter at 03:41 PM JST - 26th January

"A little insight to the Japanese mind regardign crime: My Japanese wife tells me that the law here is not so severe on people if they "keep it in the family." In other words, if you kill your kids or your parents it is much better than killing someone else's."

You know what dude... We don't care... keep it to yourself...

There's no fricken excuse for killing your family and precious kids, NONE AT ALL.

This kind of thing stems from lack of common-sense and morals.. They don't exist in Japan.

If you want to kill yourself.. Fine, have at it, one less loser running around MY country, breathing my air, but you don't have the right to kill women and children!

100% with you, my friend. Great Post!

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dolphingirl at 04:14 PM JST - 26th January

Kyoko: Actually, I don't think this article is a good example of 'draconian'. Draconian suggests someone/society who is being particularly harsh or cruel because of their severe rules or laws. This man certainly was cruel but his actions weren't based on any rules or strict code; they were based purely in selfishness and shame.

You are most certainly right, dolphingirl. Yet, to think all the things that passed through these youngsters minds when they realized their own father was strangling the life out of them leaves me apalled. How sub-human!

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Kyoko: I would agree with sub-human. Rest in peace to the wife and two kids.

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You selfish bastard. Why didn't you just end your own worthless life in stead of taking away the lives of the innocent ones?? I pray that every day you are haunted and stalked by the devil himself you coward

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Let's not go too far and say that all Japanese do not have morals and common sense. My Japanese wife has taught me a lesson or two about morals and commone sense. Put me in my place. Most Japanese are just as disgusted by this man's actions as I am. Let's hope he gets what he deserves.

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KyokoSmile said "Because Japan is indeed DRACONIAN. It's an undefeated FACT"

Undefeated fact- really funny english...doesn't mean anything though.

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you have to commend them here in Japan, they're so tidy! They think of everything and everyone, dont they?? Yeah the poor family because he has debts (why didnt he jump off a cliff by himself btw, gee i dont know!), and of course, going to the police to turn himself in. So so so tidy. Bravo!

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He could have just moved to a different prefecture while leaving his family alone to lead their lives.

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For some reason in these types of situations the man/woman that wants to or should die never is successful in committing suicide. Absolutely, gutless! Not to mention he thought it out waiting till 4 pm that day to go to the police to confess. Couldn't come up with anyway to get away with this.

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You know what dude... We don't care... keep it to yourself... There's no fricken excuse for killing your family and precious kids, NONE AT ALL. This kind of thing stems from lack of common-sense and morals.. They don't exit in Japan. If you want to kill yourself.. Fine, have at it, one less loser running around MY country, breathing my air, but you don't have the right to kill women and children!

Yeah, nothing good comes out of this situation and by our Western standards, it's completely wrong. I understand what you are saying, but you come across in many ways that bother me.

I DO care. This is the mindset that is common in Japan! I want to know a little about what's going on in the mind of this society for the safety of me and others. You say they lack common sense and morals in Japan. Hang your head in shame for grouping an entire nation under this. There are many good natured Japanese people. Also, there are many (more than us) Japanese that say the same about Western nations! Don't be as ignorant. This isn't your country. I'd include not having the right to kill MEN too.
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Actually I saw a movie about that not to while ago, and the police protected the family of the boy who was the murderer! How odd..isn't supposed to be the victim being protected? But hey..different culture then America, hope that justice system will change one day.

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" I would love to know the % of abnormal, unstable and just plain mentally screwed up individuals there are in this country."

Mmmm. That may just be a little too scary to find out for sure

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It never ceases to amaze me about certain aspects of Asian culture. Just because you gave birth to a child does not mean that the parent has the right to end the chid's life. Anybody can give birth to a child for obvious reasons, but being a loving and caring parent is far more important. But then again it is a different culture and if I live here I have to respect some aspects of it, and some aspects of it are nice.......it is just too confusing at times for me. I guess it is more about family than the individual where the emphasis is placed. Just my 2 cents...still learning

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slashes to his wrist? what a coward. if he strangeled them why not hang himself to get the same. they didnt ask for this. if you were so miserable why not kill yourself first and let them make their own choices. the worst part is the biggest waste of a life is the one who lived.

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KyokoSmile......What ur wife told u is true. If is kept within the family anything goes over here. Have had experience with that!!!!

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