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A 47-year-old man was charged with fraud on Wednesday, accused of deliberately cutting off three of his fingers and claiming around 12 million yen in accident insurance last year. A 52-year-old man and his 50-year-old wife were also charged with fraud, accused of conspiring with the man to defraud an insurance company of the money.
Moriaki Abiru, 47, is accused of deliberately cutting off three of his fingers with a knife on February 13 last year at a yakiniku restaurant he used to work at in Himeji City. Kiyoto Yoshikawa, 52, and his wife Misae, 50, who own the restaurant, are accused of conspiring with Abiru in claiming that his fingers were cut off accidentally as they were slicing meat from the bone. An insurance company paid compensation of roughly 11.65 million yen in total from March to August last year. Abiru has admitted to willfully cutting off his fingers but Kiyoto and Misae Yoshikawa have denied their involvement.
Abiru was arrested on March 11 this year and later charged with robbery and assault, accused of stabbing a 61-year-old doctor and head of a gastrointestinal clinic in Kakogawa City on January 28. Abiru admitted to stabbing the man and told police he had conspired with Kiyoto and Misae Yoshikawa to rob the clinic, and they have been charged as well. Kiyoto told police they did not intend to kill the doctor but Misae has denied any connection with the incident.
The insurance fraud committed last year came to light recently when Abiru confessed during investigations into the March robbery and assault case.
© News reports
20 Comments
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mmwk2008
After personal experience of Japanese Insurance companies attempting to avoid payout, I'd say that he had a forced confession. No one, would knowingly cut off their fingers to claim insurance of 12MM ... that's stupid - especially in the business he's in.
hellhound
lol
WMD
My god! I can't believe that someone would really do this. Anyhow going solo, if you get my drift, must be somewhat difficult now!
sharky1
Should have used the word "arrested" instead of "found".
sharky1
It kind of makes sense that after he cut off 3 fingers that he would be found with two others...but on the other hand, he would have been found with five others.
kyushujoe
Only about 12 million for three fingers? I wouldn't even cut off a quarter of one little toe for that. Desperate, obviously.
tjfrancis
insurance would have paid whether it was one or three, so for those questionining his IQ level, that should be your answer.
LFRAgain
This sounds like the plot from a Coen Brothers film.
lazarus0202
What a dope. There are easier ways to make 12 mil.
nurse13
I meant than a puppet.
nurse13
Altria, precisely. Just goes to show that he is the less bright one of the three. Abiru san has more strings that a puppet. Perhaps my conclusion is premature but it seems to me that he can be easily persuaded. First by his alleged accomplices, not once but twice and then by the police.
Altria
Notice that they charged him with robbery, not armed robbery...
Altria
Don't know about the insurance fraud, but he'd be pretty easy to beat at Janken afterwards.
nurse13
I promised myself to refrain from commenting any longer on JT because of personal reasons. However, this article is too bizarre and funny not to resist. First of all, Altria, I like your sense of humor. On another note, Abiru san seems less bright than his other two alleged accomplices. Did he lose rock paper scissor to the other two and as a result, had to be the one to carryout the fraud and crime. Not too brilliant I would say; especially cutting his own fingers and having to share the insurance money with the other two. And he probably used the restaurant knife too.
bamboohat
"the" bone? What bone? The bone in his fingers? The one in their collective heads?
Wakarimasen
He couldn't do peace sign as only 1 finger (and presumably thumb) left. He could be a serious yak though.
Altria
Which 3 fingers did he cut off?
Did he go for the kawaii look (peace sign) or bad-boy look (heavy metal sign)?
Okinawamike
He will now go by the name of "Stubby"
jkoffman
These people don't sound very bright.
Wakarimasen
THe two incidents seamm unrelated. Was a confession beaten out of him?