HYOGO (TR) – Following the arrest of a 35-year-old man living in Tokyo over the murder of a woman in Kobe City earlier this month, investigative sources have revealed that the suspect has a criminal record involving another woman, reports the Sankei Shimbun (Aug. 23).

On August 22, police apprehended company employee Masashi Tanimoto, a company employee in the town of Okutama, located about 400 kilometers from the crime scene.

As previously reported, Tanimoto is alleged to have fatally stabbed Megumi Katayama, 24, multiple times in the chest and other areas of her body with a knife at her apartment building in Kobe’s Chuo Ward.

According to police, Tanimoto stated upon his arrest, “I’m sure I stabbed her once or twice in the abdomen area with a knife.” However, he partially denied charges of murder. “I don’t know if I had any intent to kill her,” he said.

In the latest development, police have revealed that Tanimoto was arrested on May 28, 2022 on suspicion of attempted murder. The day before, he allegedly broke into the Kobe home of a second woman in her 20s and strangled her.

The following month, police accused him of violating the Stalking Prevention Act. Between May 13 and 28, he allegedly loitered around the woman’s apartment.

After breaking into the woman’s home on May 27, he stayed there for about an hour and continued to express his affection for her before strangling her.

“This really helps”

Tanimoto worked at a construction company in Kobe for about 10 years. However, he frequently expressed interest in other industries, quitting and returning repeatedly.

“He quit the company three times,” a coworker who knew him at the time tells TV Asahi. “His father became ill and had to enter a nursing home, and I think he was paying for that. He asked for his salary in advance several times, so I think it must have been difficult for him personally.”

After leaving the Kobe construction company, he relocated to the Kanto region. In May 2023, he joined a truck driving company in Tokyo with about 40 employees. He lives in a company dormitory in Shinjuku Ward and earns about 300,000 yen a month. However, this month, things started to change.

A representative of the company says, “He applied for summer vacation from August 17 to 20, and we let him take it. We bought him a round-trip Shinkansen ticket as a way of saying, ‘Come back soon,'” he replied gratefully, saying, ‘Shinkansen fares are expensive, so this really helps.'”

He was absent from work without permission on August 22, the day he was arrested.

Tailed the victim

On the night of the latest crime, Tanimoto tailed the victim for more than 10 minutes just before the incident, reports TV Asahi (Aug. 23).

Police believe Tanimoto knew the area and began tailing Katayama on her as she commuted home, an assertion based on footage from multiple security cameras. At around 7:20 p.m., he followed Katayama as she returned to her apartment, bypassed the automatic lock, attacked her in the elevator and fled down the stairs.

After leaving the apartment, he headed north. He is believed to have discarded a 15-centimeter knife in a nearby parking lot.

Tanimoto then boarded a Shinkansen train bound for Tokyo from JR Shin-Kobe Station. Where he was over the next day or so remains a puzzle. However, he was then seen on security camera footage arriving at JR Okutama Station in the town of Okutama on the morning of August 22.

In subsequent footage, Tanimoto — recognizable by the distinct blonde streaks in his hair — is shown walking along a highway in Okutama. In the intense heat, he appears to be wiping sweat from his forehead. He has a black bag slung over his shoulder and what appears to be a white shopping bag in his right hand. He is wearing a black shirt black pants, and whitish footwear.

Investigators say this attire is completely different from that of the perpetrator on the day of the crime.

Just after 4:00 p.m., police spotted Tanimoto walking approximately 7 kilometers from Okutama Station and arrested him. He was not carrying any dangerous objects or knives.

A resident who witnessed the moment he was apprehended said, “I think there were four or five people holding him down. It seemed like he was acting violently and police wanted him to stop.”

Police then transported Tanimoto from Tokyo to Shin-Kobe Station by Shinkansen.

“We are relieved”

A key point in the investigation will be the connection between Tanimoto and Katayama, who joined a major non-life insurance company in April of last year and worked in sales at a branch in Kobe. (Shortly after his arrest, Tanimoto said that she was “a total stranger.”)

A public relations officer at her workplace says, “She had a reputation for being bright, cheerful, and having excellent communication skills.”

A statement from Katayama’s family reads, “We are relieved for the time being. We are grateful for the diligent investigation. Our family is deeply saddened and remains in a state of confusion, but we hope to send him off peacefully at the very least.”

Adblock test (Why?)