ChrisUK comments

In the search for Tatsuya Ichihashi, Ichikawa/ Tokyo Police have offered a reward of 1,000,000 Yen. General consensus is that Ichihashi is probably still in Japan and is being sheltered by someone.

I don't know if there is a general culture of not offering financial rewards in Japan or offering small rewards but the sum seems to be a derisory amount, barely enough to buy a 7 year old Yaris? There is a culture of offering larger rewards in the UK but usually the reward offered for in a murder case or for assistance in a missing persons case would usually be much higher which may encourage some people to carry out their own investigations/ surveillance/ searches or encourage those in the criminal underworld to sell out a 'friend' if they are sheltering them. I'd suggest a reward of about 25,000,000 Yen would be an altogether more appropriate sum.

In the UK, sometimes the reward is put up by the family if they are a wealthy family, occasionally by an employer or other interested party, more often though the reward is set by the Police or by a larger Newspaper publisher.

I'm not criticising Japan, we have murders in the UK, some of these are occasionally overseas workers or tourists. It would be nice though if the authorities took a lead in placing a more substantial reward so it's more likely that Ichihashi will be brought to face charges and (if he is responsible for murdering Lindsay Ann Hawker), not remain at large to commit similar crimes and inflict this misery on other families.