Police said Monday that the skeletonized body of a man was found Sunday in an apartment in Warabi, Saitama Prefecture.
According to police, the owner of the apartment and a building management employee discovered the man's remains at about 1:30 p.m. Sunday, TBS reported. A 45-year-old man lived in the apartment, but he had not paid his rent for at least two years, TBS reported. Gas, water and electricity had been cut off, police said.
Police said the door was locked and there were no external signs of violence on the skeletonized remains. There was no information on why the owner let the tenant get behind in rent payments by two years, TBS reported,
© Japan Today
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sillygirl
now this is really really sad. family??? landlord???? neighbors???? no one checked on this man for years????
The_True
hmmmmm!!!!!
a Japanese Landlord not asking for Rent for 2 years? why? check the landlord, ask question i say!
EveningJazz
Suspicious to say the least. How long does it take for a body to skeletonize? Odours? As someone else mentioned above, didn't anyone know this man?
cactusJack
As you can see, eviction for rent payable is not a big thing here.
Disillusioned
Cactusjack - There are actually no laws governing eviction in Japan. Landlords are actually not permitted to evict you. In other countries they would just throw all your crap on the street and change the locks, but they can't do it here.
Sad article though, it seems another loner has died alone.
delrennich
Again?
waltery
Sad but as said the land lord needs questioning Dose that law about not throwing people out for non payment of rent apply to dead people, sheletons and forieners?
genkigonzo
You can go two years without having to pay rent?
Tamarama
Jesus...again?! I used to live in Warabi too. I guess the landlord just found out why he wasn't paying his rent. But seriously, a decomposing body of any sort stinks to high heaven - it just can't be possible that the neighbors didn't smell the guy. It's incredible. How can you not know your neighbor has died for 2 years?!
Maria
Nobody came looking for him, and nobody questioned a mailbox which must have been overflowing... So sad. I hope that he at else died quickly. The idea of him lying there, somehow incapacitated, and regretting all those connections and relationships with friends and relatives that he let slide...
Peter St. Christopher Kelly
Before this I had always believed that Japanese friendship was fallen and superficial. I am sure this guy had tonnes of nomikai buddies for whom he had picked up tabs. I love Japan but this detached aspect of the culture is very very sad. Everyone has many friends and none at the same time
KariHaruka
No rent paid for 2 years and nobody thought about checking on this poor man's welfare?!
nath
I'm assuming the landlords didn't check their bank accounts to see who is paying and who isn't. My in laws didn't bother checking their accounts to see if their tenants were paying and some of them had not paid for over 6 months... When you don't rely on the rent as income it's not so much of a big deal that needs checking up on. They are just stupid enough to think people will pay it. Can't believe the neighbours didn't raise the alarm??
DentShop
Maybe.... he was the landlord!
Herve Nmn L'Eisa
So, does that work for not paying one's mort-gage? Just asking. Seriously though, very sad that it seems no one inquired about the man. Apartment dwellers are not known for having much contact with neighbors, though.
Patrick Hagger
What kind of landlord is this after two years not to notice no rent. Laziness will cause one to lose his job and his property. Does the landlord pay his taxes on time
Awatemono
In a society - anywhere - where you 'mind your own business' and disregard others, everyone loses. What happens when your car breaks down and no one will stop? A multitude of minor acts of civility and care for others costs so little and humanises a community. I was told that Nihonjin were aloof and didn't talk to strangers. Because I had a smattering of Nihongo, I have chatted to dozens of strangers and often left them behind, chatting to one another, something they wouldn't have done had I not 'broken the ice' for them.
Raul Alistair Davis
This is very sad, sad indeed. It reminds me of another unfortunate case in London a few years ago where a young, beautiful woman of Caribbean descent (Joyce Carol Vincent),was found dead in her apartment after three years. The TV was still on and there was a pile of Christmas presents , presents she started not did not complete wrapping. It was said that she looked like Whitney Houston and had met Stevie Wonder, Nelson Mandela and others.
When things like these happen, you are forced to wonder how they could have gone undiscovered for so long. No one, no matter if they are homeless or have no family should die without being missed. This is almost the equivalent of not having existed at all.
Here is a link to an article on CJV, you can also check out the documentary which will be out soon. There are clips on youtube.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2011/oct/09/joyce-vincent-death-mystery-documentary
Pump24
I go two days overdue with rent and my landlord is banging the door down... but two years? Amazing.
MustardKing
Stupid, or generous. Damned if I am going to be down on rich people overlooking unpaid rent. Charity is a good thing.