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Realistically speaking, what do you think the police should be doing to catch Tatsuya Ichihashi, the suspect in the 2007 murder of Lindsay Ann Hawker?

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Perhaps put surveillance on his parents.

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The police should continue doing nothing. Most violent crimes over there in Japan are solved when the suspect turns themselves in. So, they should just wait.

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Realistically thinking police should just tell the truth and close this file, they are not going to find him dead or alive.

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Keep investigating.

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A few...

1) Ask their friends for help – you know, the yaks. 2) Stop hassling foreign looking commuters for their gaijin cards, and put those resources on the case. 3) Get out of their kobans and ask around. 4) Put his poster up at the various police station display boards. 5) Offer a meaningful reward for his arrest.

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Assuming they have already or or continuing to do this, they should:

Monitor his family and their finances, especially any odd or huge money transfers. Try and make a profile of the guy, think where he would be and who he would ask for help. If there are aiding and abetting laws here, focus on advertising those to make people helping him think twice.

This case is so old that its possible he is living abroad in hiding, killed himself or got killed, or (least probable) is hiding out somewhere in Japan.

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He left Japan long ago. The parents and media need to direct their pressure at Interpol or whatever. Are they really accomplishing anything by forcing them to resort to making essentially pull-string talking dolls of him?

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Looking for her instead of sitting around reading comics and smoking fags.

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Raise the reward from 1 million to 10 millions yen and spread the word in the Phillippines.

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Surveillance of the parents and known associates would be a start. Also calling in a few favors from those groups involved with the entertainment/food and beverage industry in Japan (you know who I mean). Such groups have eyes and ears everywhere. Increasing the reward money would also be a benefit. Giving overseas countries a kick would also be a good idea. Indeed, what about the Japanese police being proactive rather than reactive in their relations with other countries. If Japan was to be more forthcoming in terms of coughing up Japanese nationals against whom arrest warrants have been issued in other countries (those countries in which Japan enjoys extradition treaties (the US, etc. - cases of parental kidnappings, etc), who knows what sort of information Japan might get in return with regard to a number of people of interest, not just Ichihashi (the so-called Aum fugitives, etc).

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Genevaman: What is your point about your comment? why Philippines? please give me a good reason....

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I think they should keep looking, if she were somebody i knew i'd make sure they kept looking.

He lived in Ichikawa, in the Chiba prefecture, just east of Tokyo. He was a fitness freak, who loved to go to the gym. So people should keep a close eye on the gyms, that might help (have an inside man working at them). This was a weird thing.. he gave her so much evidence his phone number, email address.. i recon if somebody emailed him - but im sure the police have tried (in a suspicious way) they may have go to see him. His parents are tight lipped, which could mean they know something?

and NOYPIKANTOU, For years, Japanese criminals wanted by Japanese authorities have fled to the Philippines to escape arrest making Philippines something of a haven for Japanese criminals. I believe thats why GENEVAMAN mentioned that and he has a point. But not that much money.. lol

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I hate to say it, but I think they have other cases to focus on at this point. The police are not here to protect Nova teachers on a lark.

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Jesssicaaa: How sure are you that most of the Japanese Criminals run to the Philippines? can you name me those cases?.. or maybe trying to point on somewhere else because of Japanese Police's slowliness....How come these criminals managed to get out of Japan anyway...Plus tHE POLICE got this guy already! right in front of them!!!! and they let him go... Police should think more here , improve their investigating process not wasting time stopping every single people checking bicycles!

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@ TokyoHustla

The police are not here to protect Nova teachers on a lark.

Oh, charming comment there.

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Subject his parents to the usual interrogation of suspects if they have not already.

Its hard to for me to view them as guiltless. They raised a monster, but they didn't know?

I think they might have more information than they let on. Their phones should probably be tapped secretly too.

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I think this headline is wrong. Shouldn't it read, "What should the police have done when this psycho ran passed them?" - I fear it is way too late. The trail has gone cold. This nutter is long gone and hiding out in one of the other cities of Japan. Unless the police do a blanket media sweep running over a few months including posters on all train stations, convenience stores, community centers across the nation and offer a huge reward there is no way they are gonna get this nut. The police will not catch him and the general public have no idea what he looks like nor do they care!

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First fire the police who let him go, I don't believe the story he slipped past them while questioning him. What makes you think they will do any better finding him? There is no "man hunt" for this guy who kills women and no justice.

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Realistically? That's an interesting word. Is anything done "realistically" here? I mean, they let Miura go free, "realistically" was he an innocent man? They can't catch 3 of the Aum fugitives, even after 15 years. Do you think "realistically" they are going to get them now? And "realistically" speaking, is it true that 9 policemen went to the door of Ichihashi? 9? Why, "realistically speaking" were 9 required to go to the door? Wouldn't it have been more "realistic" to have 2 situated AND READY at the entrance to the apt., 2 situated AND READY at the escape stairways, 2 situated AND READY at the elevator, and one situated AND READY with a cell phone, walkie, talky, video camera, or dare I say, "some heat" to stop someone trying to flee the scene? What the xxx are the policemen in this country doing "realistically" anyways?

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"Realistically speaking, what do you think the police should be doing to catch Tatsuya Ichihashi, the suspect in the 2007 murder of Lindsay Ann Hawker?"

What is with the "Realistically speaking" preface to that question? The answer is, "Everything that can be done." Isn't the Japanese government trying to promote tourism to bring much needed revenue into the country? Do they really think they're going to draw in a lot of foreign tourists when the police force is such a joke that they let a murder suspect literally RUN PAST THEM? I'd feel safer with the Keystone Cops watching my back, personally. Lindsay Ann Hawker's family deserves to see her killer brought to justice, and Japan needs to realize that, just because a couple of years have passed, a woman is still dead. You can't just sweep it under the rug and pretend like it doesn't matter anymore.

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The police are not here to protect Nova teachers on a lark.

.....

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as posters above have mentioned, pressure known family and friends more, offer more than pathetic 1 million yen. a BIG reward is the most probable way to get a result

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That's more for the police to say.

We're not pro's like them. We probably couldn't even catch someone if we went en masse to his apartment.

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I think there should be a special announcement on tv every day and repeating that there is a prize for information.

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I think the guy is out of the country or dead. The increased reward others have mentioned might at least turn up the truth and help give the parents a little closure. Maybe this episode could provide some impetus towards a bit of an examination into foreigners rights in Japan, both for educating foreigners, and helping police in their dealings too. Maybe something positive could come out of this tragedy.

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Psychics have solved cases before. Been on the Discovery channel, in newspapers and magazines. Of course we cannot discount the paranormal world. We cannot prove or disprove it. There are some quite famous clairvoyants in Japan. Not the type to take money but the type that use their gift to help people who are searching.

I cannot claim to have ever benefited from a clairvoyant or even dabbled in the spiritual realm but have heard many amazing stories and quite a lot from Japanese people. Maybe Hawkers family can look into it.

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Reward, or some sort of leverage to convince someone who knows that it is better for their interests to turn this guy in than to keep the secret (if there is one).

Psychics? I thought the question was "realistically speaking"?

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More posters could be posted on public transport.

Also, anyone travelling around wearing a facemask who is suspicisouly tall should be stopped and checked out. Bad luck if you're tall with a cold but I am sure innocent people would be understanding.

Personally I reckon Ichihashi could stop at a koban and ask directions and noone would notice. The Japanese police are very lovely but seem rubbish at detective work! Private detectives need to be employed.

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It was said he had a fetish for foreign women, so police should recruit female foreign police officers working in Shinjunku area as undercover agents trying to attract him

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someone who is smart and doesn't want to be found can do so quite easily anywhere in the world, there are thousands of people in the world on the run from Osama Bin Laden to this chap. Who is to say is he still in Japan? most are under the assumption he still is, he could be anywhere by now. Sad as it is, this case is a going nowhere and is wasting resources, there are plenty of other fish to fry for the cops, I would rather they crack down on motorcycle gangs and such and improve the lives of the millions in Japan everyday.

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I would rather they crack down on motorcycle gangs and such and improve the lives of the millions in Japan everyday.

I'm not sure the parents of Lindsay Hawker would agree with you. Damn sure I don't!

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If this were a murdered Japanese girl we wouldn’t be asked this question. Because it simply wouldn’t be important enough to justify the space used. So those of you that have said or suggested that the Japanese police really don’t care if a murderer of a none Japanese gets away need to examine their own thinking, you are only interested & posting because she isn’t Japanese.

I am sorry she was murdered & I am really sorry for her parents who have to live with this. But I do not see how her death is of any greater importance than any other death. Realistically what should the police be doing? Probably what they are doing, which is probably a great deal more than anybody here would ever give them credit for doing. But then what does anybody here know. The uniforms are out there annoying every one as per usual, but that is the same in every country, they are not there to catch real criminals, though it is nice when they do happen to do so.

o what might be happening that we cannot see? I don’t know any more than anybody else here knows. So I will only make judgements on what I can see & all I can see are a lot of self-opinionated posts denigrating the police. The expat experts solving the problems of the world again. I am sure you are all too morally correct to be concerned about the reward, so the money shouldn’t influence you, so why don’t some you of band to together & show these useless Japanese police how it should be done & go out there & get this killer?

Moderator: Please stop sniping at other readers.

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I am sure you are all too morally correct to be concerned about the reward, so the money shouldn’t influence you,

you didnt read all the posts

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I'm not sure the parents of Lindsay Hawker would agree with you. Damn sure I don't!

and there in lies the difference between realism and idealism. The question ask *realistically not idealistically.

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Comb the mountains for his body!

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@grafton

If this were a murdered Japanese girl we wouldn’t be asked this question.

Knowing that a somehow large part of the nutters in this country has a soft spot on foreign women, and that J-authorities sometimes, for some unknown reasons, let them get away with it, I think it is worth talking about this case. Google Issei Sagawa.

And hell yes we are concerned about this monster beeing, maybe, on the loose. Some J-Guys complained about how the British Medias handled this case. But from my experience, every single western and asian non-japanese lady who appeared to live or pass by this country were subject to assault. What is the proportion of male-female western foreigners living in Japan? You probably have a vague idea of this number and you also probably have a vague idea of what I mean. At the end of the day, yes, we need to care about this case: because I am sure that the J-authorities are waiting for this case beeing forgotten, and their investigation actually seems to continue in a proper japanese style: apologize, give your meishi and ask politely those gays in Kabukicho if they have seen a tall transvestite.

Lindsay's family should continue to fight, even though it must be so painful to deal with a lost daughter and to deal with those shady bureaucrats.

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One would have thought they would have pulled out all stops to 'save face' as they are big on in Japan. I live very near wear the body was discovered and there are many facts about his so-called 'escape' that have been swept under the carpet due to how pathetic the non-reaction from the nine "uhum" 'public servants' that were present. He ran straight through two in the hall way and kept on running with no other officers giving chase. They didn't know why he ran so they didn't chase him. How pathetic is that!!!

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Realistically speaking, the J Police should have a little bit more 'sympathy' for the Hawker family. Once you offer your kind hearts problems are easier solved.

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Actually get out there and investigate, for starters? Placing up wanted posters around every station and at the airport is not investigation....

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Plaster his face and description all over everything and offer a reward.

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Increase the size of the reward, preferably by taking 20% of the salaries of the 9 incompetent police officers who let him escape in the first place.

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They should start investigating.

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The police are not here to protect Nova teachers on a lark.

Yes they are. She paid her taxes, why should she receive a lower standard of care than other Japanese residents, native or non-native.

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realistically, they should call some people with skills. they should ask the fbi, scotland yard, the russian FSB, or mossad to help. guarantee they'll get the dude in a week.

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Stop each and every Japanese male who fits the age range and make sure they have airtight alibis for the time frame in question. Imprison any who don't.

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This case is special.Much more special than the murder of another British female in 2000.In that case the murderer was Korean by origin, had a long list of other crimes and finally was not found guilty in that murder.Tatsuya Ichihashi has no previous records, looks(ed) like an average J-guy and is Japanese by origin.They don't have balls to judge him for a murder of a white female.Rememeber, unlike all others on NPA posters, he is wanted for abandonment of a corpse, not for a murder.If the victim were Japanese, he would have been already locked up.Now they are telling us funny stories: he committed a suicide, he escaped to Phillipines, etc, etc.Disgusting to read this stuff.

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