Police in Kashihara City, Nara Prefecture, said that a 45-year-old man arrested on suspicion of killing his 47-year-old ex-wife in a coffee shop last week, had been issued a restraining order last year.
Police said the victim, Harumi Takaishi, filed a complaint with police last November about her ex-husband, Hiroki Takaishi, a demolition worker, whom she said was stalking her, NHK reported.
The suspect stabbed his ex-wife in the neck at Komeda Coffee in Kashihara City at 1:20 p.m. on Sept 5. She later died of blood loss.
According to police, Harumi and her family had consulted them about domestic violence by Takaishi three years ago. He was arrested on suspicion of domestic abuse in May 2021 but released.
After Takaishi showed up near Harumi's home in November last year, the Nara District Court issued a six-month restraining order against him.
Police continued to be in regular contact with Harumi, and most recently, checked up on her on Aug 21.
After the restraining order expired, a relative of Takaishi accompanied him to the coffee shop on Sept 5 to meet his ex-wife to discuss her belongings, luggage and other items that she had left at Takaishi's house.
After the relative left, witnesses in the coffee shop heard Takaishi and his ex-wife arguing and saw him stab her.
The relative told local media: "Hiroki is a decent person at heart, and I never thought he would commit such a crime. It was a sudden and unexpected event and I am very shaken."
© Japan Today
18 Comments
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Mocheake
Decent people with good hearts don't stab others to death. If he brought the weapon with him, it probably means he intended to kill her, and, sadly he was successful.
Yuuju
Can anyone know for sure what is inside another person’s heart? People can pretend, lie and scam. His nature was inside all the time just no perfect trigger to show it. Sadly, his ex became this trigger.
learn psychology, avoid psychopathic people, dont trigger them and go no contact if necessary. We live in scary times,theres no luxury of being care free.
wowyz
had been issued restraining order
cough cough cough, I see.
Strangerland
What is it that you see?
DaDude
My brother-in-law was classmates with the killer when they were in Jr. high. He said he was a nice guy back then so see his name in the news like this was shocking. Weirdly enough, another classmate at the same school is serving prison time now after killing someone in a bar fight years back.
travelbangaijin
People can be nice, but everybody has a breaking point
Fighto!
This relative should be put on trial as an accessory. He/she would have known something was up. And to describe this animal as a "decent person" is disgusting.
I just hope the animal is hung.
Rest in Peace to the poor, innocent woman.
Yokota
Here we go again
starpunk
Why did this relative think Hiroki had a restraining order on him? SMH
u_s__reamer
Arrest and incarceration is the securest kind of "restraining order".
Random
This was 100 percent an ambush, hopefully the death penalty will be on the table.
Coulda been
Why did the relative leave? Did he think everything was sorted?
Stewart Gale
I'm surprised so few of the pro-death penalty commentators here seem to realise that the death penalty isn't handed out in Japan for singular murders.
Every news story on this site about a singular murder is greeted by the same "hope they hang him" comments.
wallace
Stewart Gale
There have been death row cases for a single murder when the killer was executed. It's not set in stone.
wallace
Between 1993-2022 there were 15 executions for single murders.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_executions_in_Japan
Stewart Gale
Thanks for enlightening me guys.
I would imagine those cases are particularly heinous in the level of premeditation and violence used.
justsomeguy8008
what a strange title to this article