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Police said Monday they have arrested a man for allegedly killing his flatmate with a metal bat at their apartment in Yokohama more than two weeks ago.
According to police, the suspect -- identified as Kenjiro Nishizato, 37 -- allegedly hit and killed Koichi Yamazaki, 32. Nishizato called emergency services last Saturday, saying that his flatmate was dead. When police arrived, they found Yamazaki lying cold on the tatami in the apartment in Isogo. The man had been dead for more than two weeks, police said.
The two began living together shortly after they became acquainted 10 months ago. Police said that Nishizato has admitted to the charge but has so far given no motive.
© Compiled from news reports
20 Comments
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Gurukun
What's a flatmate?
Zenny11
I would assume a roommate or that he was sharing the apartment with another person.
Fadamor
The person doing the translation must have been taught British English. Nothing wrong with that. Us "Yanks" know what it means so that should cover just about all the forms of English out there.
Laguna
Wait - he lived with the guy dead on his floor for two weeks? What prompted him to call the cops - the smell? And after such a lengthy time had passed, was it any surprise that he was found "lying cold"? - it's a corpse, after all, not a fuel rod.
taj
flatmate = someone who shares a flat (apartment). Easier than saying apartmentmate, and seeing as so many people here live in one room "rooms", the term "roommate" gets funny looks. Even N.American's who've lived abroad a while start using the term flatmate.
TrouserEnthusiast
Sorry, but I kind of laughed at that.
techall
Flatmate or "roomie" usually refers to someone with whom you are sharing an apartment or flat to split expences rather than any romantic connection but does not rule out one. I wonder what prompted Kenjiro to off Koichi?
What prompted him to call the cops - the smell? Maybe he got tired of stepping over poor Ko everytime he had to use the toilet.
gaijinfo
Kind of sad this dude was dead and nobody was looking for him. Usually if the dead person was employed, it's their boss that calls the cops when they don't show up for work.
That must have been creepy living in such proximity to a dead guy for two weeks.
ronaldk
Necrophilia?
Molenir
Worse then killing the guy creepy?
DentShop
He lived out my dream from when I was 24 years old and got stuck with an absolute loser.
But 37 living with a 32 year old - me thinks they have been hitting each other for a long time - and not with bats...
seesaw2
??...moving in with someone you hardly know. They must be insane.
whiskeysour
Arguing in a tiny winy apartment !!! Just living ina tiny winy apartment can be hazardous to your health.
BurakuminDes
Do you live in a cave? Never heard of the concept of flatmates?
arrestpaul
Alive in a cave or dead in a flat from someone you hardly know? Hmmm... that's a tough choice.
BurakuminDes
Had a lot of flatmates in my time, arrestpaul...still alive, buddy! In places like the UK and Aust. it is common to move in with flatmates, house-shares etc with people you have only just met. A few of them can be damn annoying (ie steal your food and CDs!) but most are perfectly fine - you have more chance of getting killed in a car accident than getting killed by them, let me allay your fears.
Granted, maybe in the Japanese situation there may be more of the creepier "otaku" types...
arrestpaul
Thanks, I feel much better now. So the choice is - less chance of getting killed vs greater chance of getting killed? What do these choices have in common?
Moderator: Back on topic please.
BurakuminDes
Ha ha - OK, pretty late, my grammar is all over the shop! Basically, what I'm saying is not to be afraid of flatmates, arrestpaul (or seesaw). I'm pretty sure being killed by your flatmate (by a baseball bat no less) is not a run-of-the-mill, everyday event. Heck - you may just save some money in the long-run if you live in a mega-expensive rental city like Sydney, Tokyo or London - and share a flat.
Fadamor
Maybe it's not as common in Japan, but you see it all the time in the U.S.: People get a new job in a city where they don't know anyone, and rather than trying to find an apartment of their own, they start looking for one that has a room for rent. Rarely does the arrangement result in violence.
Melissa Baker-Lhermitte
The two began living together shortly after they became acquainted 10 months ago.
That's along time to be living with someone and not realizing that their crazy.