crime

Man arrested over death of homeless man on Tokyo riverbank

9 Comments

Police in Tokyo on Saturday arrested an unemployed 42-year-old man of no fixed address on suspicion of killing a 61-year-old homeless man on a riverbank in Katsushika Ward.

According to police, the suspect, Sunao Kamiyama, struck Sachio Hatakeyama several times with a hammer on the head and back, while they were drinking together by the side of the Arakawa River at around 5:50 p.m. on Nov 15.

Hatakeyama’s body was found on Friday morning after Kamiyama told a passerby “there was a man lying at the river’s edge.”

Police said Kamiyama has admitted to the charge but quoted him as saying he didn’t mean to kill Hatakeyama. He told police they were drinking and got into an argument and that he used the hammer just to threaten the victim but he lost his temper.

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9 Comments
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Homeless? Carrying a hammer? Threatened his victim, but didn't mean to hit him? Only in Japan! And we all know what he'll plead - drunk and lost all manner of sensibility.

Sheesh!

-3 ( +3 / -6 )

Really, prisons are wrong destinations for those elements. Prisons in theory are supposed to let people out. Mental institutions reserve the right to provide a fixed address for "people". Vote em madmen into mental institutions today.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

Katsushika-Ku....sounds like around Kameari. Used to ride my bike to and from work in that area

-4 ( +0 / -4 )

“I didn’t mean to kill him, officer! Honest! I believed that carrying a hammer around and delivering several blows to this man’s head would help him sleep better.”

i hope they lock him up for life. Doesn’t matter that the victim was homeless, it’s murder. And the drunk excuse shouldn’t hold any weight either.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

The 42-year-old suspect is apparently a homeless cohort of the 61-year-old victim. The suspect can be a victim when he will have reached the age of the victim as long as he keeps being a homeless. Take care.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

The most marginalised and often despised people in our society.

Is there any kind of Big Issue scheme operating in Japan?

Not going to solve all the problems but as a way of stepping up out of the grim, vicious circle it's a start.

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

@Toasted

There’s a Japanese “Big Issue”. You can (or, at least could) buy it in Fukuoka.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

'Big Issue' is sold twice a month outside my station, often you can also get back issues.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

@lucabrasi & pacint

Cheers; was not aware of this. Will keep an eye out.

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

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