Latest news with #Shirai
Tokyo Reported
11-05-2025
- Tokyo Reported
Kanagawa cops: Kawasaki man attempted suicide after leaving corpse of girlfriend in residence
KANAGAWA (TR) – Man in custody for allegedly leaving the corpse of his former girlfriend at his residence in Kawasaki City attempted suicide after committing the crime, police said, reports the Mainichi Shimbun (May 9). As previously reported, Hideyuki Shirai allegedly abandoned the body of Asahi Okazaki, 20, inside his residence between December 20 last year and April 30. In the latest development, police have revealed that Shirai attempted to kill himself by inhaling fumes from burning charcoal briquettes in the residence on January 3. After that, he told police officers who arrived at the scene, 'My family suspected me of being involved in the incident, and I thought I had no way out.' He added, 'Things weren't going well with her, so I thought I wanted to die.' Hideyuki Shirai (X) 'Okazaki is not here' Okazaki went missing on December 20, 2024. After that, police questioned Shirai seven times and inspected his home on a voluntary basis three times. According to investigators, Shirai each time said 'Okazaki is not here.' During the searches, investigators had failed to notice the body in a storage space under the floorboards. On the night of April 30, police searched the home again on suspicion of violating the Stalking Prevention Act and found the partially skeletal body in a bag. At the time of the discovery, the whereabouts of Shirai were unknown. Police later learned that he fled to the United States in early April. He arrived at Haneda International Airport on May 3. The suspect initially admitted to the charges, but has stopped speaking about the case since his arrest. That same day, police confirmed that the body found in the residence is that of Okazaki. 'She had exaggerated the story' It was also revealed that the suspect's older brother had contacted the prefectural police in mid-January. He said, 'I think Shirai may have killed Okazaki.' After police arrested Shirai on May 3, they explained the main events of the incident to the press, but did not make details about the attempted suicide and multiple visits to the residence public. Police stated that the reason for this was that 'it would hinder the investigation.' There are also discrepancies between the claims of Okazaki's family and the explanation of the prefectural police. Last September, Okazaki filed a complaint with the police, claiming that Shirai had assaulted her, but withdrew it about a month later. Police said, 'Okazaki said that she had exaggerated the story.' But her father claimed, 'I heard from my daughter that she withdrew the complaint because she was threatened by the suspect.' According to reporting by Shueisha Online, Shirai fled to the U.S. at the urging of his mother, with whom regularly exchanged chat messages. In messages between Shirai and his mother that were obtained by Okasaki's father, the suspect says he wants to go somewhere far away, to which his mother suggests America. 'America would be good, but you don't have a passport yet,' she wrote on February 12. During this ordeal, Isamu Tobimatsu, a former Hyogo Prefectural Police detective, supported the family. 'After that, Shirai actually got a passport and told Okazaki's father in March that he was going to America,' Tobimatsu says. 'Okazaki's father asked the police to stop Shirai from leaving the country on suspicion of stalking or something. But that didn't happen, and Shirai left the country around early April.' On May 9, the Kanagawa Prefectural Police established an investigation team to check their response before and after the incident.
Yomiuri Shimbun
08-05-2025
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Kawasaki Stalking Case: Passive Stance by Police Caused Public Distrust
Although a female stalking victim repeatedly expressed her concerns, why did the police not respond actively? The handling of the incident, which ended in the worst way with the victim's death, should be investigated and the results should be made public. A skeletonized body was found in a house in Kawasaki, and the Kanagawa prefectural police arrested Hideyuki Shirai, who lived in the house, on a charge of abandoning the body. The body was identified as that of Asahi Okazaki, 20, who lived in the city. Okazaki was a former girlfriend of Shirai, and she had been missing since Dec. 20 last year. Shirai has admitted to the charge, according to the police. Since June last year, Okazaki had repeatedly asked the prefectural police for help, reporting that she had suffered violence committed by Shirai. In December, she contacted the police nine times, for example telling them that Shirai was prowling around her house. However, the police only instructed Okazaki not to leave her house and did not question Shirai. The Anti-Stalking Law bans prowling around victims. However, the prefectural police determined that Shirai's acts did not constitute a case of stalking, saying, 'We urged Ms. Okazaki to come to the station to confirm the facts, but she refused to do so.' Victims of stalking tend to have wavering feelings over fear of retaliation by the perpetrators. Why did the police disregard her repeated reports of stalking and determine that they had no need to react? If the police had gone and talked to her, isn't it possible that they could have saved her life? The actions of the prefectural police after Okazaki went missing are also puzzling. A glass window at her grandmother's house — where Okazaki was temporarily staying — was broken, but the police did not check for fingerprints and investigate further. It was not until the police learned that Shirai had left for the United States that they finally searched his home and found Okazaki's body there. It is quite natural that the bereaved family of Okazaki is angry with the police. The prefectural police said that 'necessary measures were taken,' but poor responses to the situation can be seen at every turn, leading to a sense of distrust among the public. It is not acceptable to brush this case under the rug. It is necessary to identify the problems with the investigation from a neutral and impartial standpoint. The Anti-Stalking Law came into effect in 2000 in response to the murder of a female university student in Okegawa, Saitama Prefecture. The National Police Agency calls on the victims to contact the police. However, it is troubling if such a policy is not carried out thoroughly by officers on the front lines. It is true that the human mind is complicated and it is difficult to intervene in stalking cases. However, underestimating and mishandling the situation can lead to the victim's death. An increasing number of police officers are too young to remember the Okegawa incident. Hopefully, their sense of urgency can be raised through training sessions. (From The Yomiuri Shimbun, May 8, 2025)
Tokyo Reported
06-05-2025
- Tokyo Reported
Kanagawa cops arrest man for leaving corpse of ex-girlfriend in Kawasaki residence
KANAGAWA (TR) – Kanagawa Prefectural Police have accused a 27-year-old man of abandoning the body of his former girlfriend inside his residence in Kawasaki City, reports Nippon News Network (May 5). On Monday, police sent Hideyuki Shirai to prosecutors on suspicion of abandoning the body of Asahi Okazaki, 20, inside his residence between December 20 last year and April 30. On the night of April 30, police searched the home of Shirai on suspicion of violating the Stalking Prevention Act. A partially skeletal body was found in a bag. At the time of the discovery, the whereabouts of Shirai were unknown. Police later learned that he fled to the United States in early April. He arrived at Haneda International Airport on May 3. The suspect initially admitted to the charges, but has stopped speaking about the case since his arrest. That same day, police confirmed that the body found in the residence is that of Okazaki. Hideyuki Shirai (X) Stalking Okazaki is also a resident of Kawasaki. She disappeared from her home on the morning of December 20. The glass windows of her home were found to be broken and the door unlocked. Her family reported her missing to two days later. After she went missing, her family asked for information on social media. In January, it was discovered that Okazaki's bicycle was found near the home of the former boyfriend. Between December 9 and 20, Okazaki consulted with police about stalking by Shirai. 'Shirai is hanging around my house,' she said by telephone. However, police did not question Shirai during this time. Asahi Okazaki (X) 'Why did she have to go through this?' According to TV Asahi (May 6), the body of Okazakia was returned to her grandmother's house, where she had been staying until just before she went missing. According to the network, there were signs that the body had been burned. 'I met [my daughter] yesterday, and she was in a terrible state,' her father told the network. 'I have nothing but hatred for the perpetrator. It's not something a normal person would do. She was just killed and then burned. It's the same as being killed twice. I really feel sorry for my daughter. Why did she have to go through this?' Shirai participated in hip-hop. He worked as a scaffolder, but was fired due to frequent absenteeism. He met Okazaki at a bar in Kawasaki with the president of his former employer. The two started dating around April last year. According to his family, they broke up about a month later, when Shirai's stalking began. According to police, Okazaki consulted the nearest Kawasaki Rinko Police Station about domestic violence by Shirai from June onwards. The police repeatedly warned Shirai, but stopped taking action after confirming that the two had reconciled last November. However, a friend tells TV Asahi that Shirai's stalking is believed to have escalated in December when the two broke up again.
Yomiuri Shimbun
05-05-2025
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Police Failed to Interview Ex-Boyfriend Despite Reports of Stalking; Arrested on Suspicion of Abandoning Body in Bag in Kawasaki
The Yomiuri Shimbun People offer flowers at the crime scene in Kawasaki Ward, Kawasaki, on Sunday. YOKOHAMA — A man arrested for abandoning the body of a 20-year-old woman had not been interviewed by prefectural police prior to the incident, even though the victim had reported the man to the police for stalking. The victim was identified as Asahi Okazaki, 20, a part-time worker from Kawasaki. Her body was found in a bag at home of Hideyuki Shirai, 27, her former boyfriend, in the same city. The Kanagawa prefectural police arrested him on Saturday. According to the police announcement, Shirai was suspected of abandoning Okazaki's body at his home near Kawasaki-Daishi Station sometime between Dec. 20 and April 30. He once admitted to the charge but later stopped talking about the incident. When Shirai arrived at Haneda Airport upon returning from the United States, the police asked him to accompany them before arresting him. According to the prefectural police, Okazaki had been consulting the police station about Shirai's stalking behavior since June last year. The police had verbally warned Shirai. In November, the police confirmed that the couple had reconciled and closed the case. However, after the relationship ended again, Okazaki reported the matter to the police station nine times between Dec. 9-20, saying: 'He was snooping around my house,' and 'Please go on patrol.' Some of her reports suggested a high level of urgency, but the police station did not question Shirai. A prefectural police official said: 'We urged Okazaki to come to the police station for fact-finding, but she refused. We judged that she did not want police intervention.' Akiko Kobayakawa, a board member of Tokyo-based nonprofit group Humanity that supports stalking victims, said the police could have taken more proactive steps, such as visiting the victim's home. 'It is a fundamental issue that goes beyond evaluating a sense of urgency if the police did not recognize the repeated complaints in December as a stalking case despite having responded up until November,' she said. A complaint made by the victim on Dec. 10, said, '[Shirai] would not return my bicycle.' The police accepted a report of bicycle theft on Dec. 16. On Jan. 24, the bicycle was found near Shirai's house, and the police checked security cameras in the area but did not speak with Shirai. Day of her disappearance Okazaki went missing from her grandmother's home — where she took shelter — on the morning of Dec. 20. Her grandmother called the police on Dec. 22, saying: 'My granddaughter hasn't come home. The glass in the window was broken, and it might have been broken by her former boyfriend to take her away.' The police reportedly explained to the grandmother that there were more glass fragments outside than inside, suggesting the glass might have been broken from inside. They took photos but did not collect fingerprints. The police accepted a report from the grandmother and collected fingerprints on Jan. 7. 'Underestimating case' After Okazaki went missing, the police station interviewed Shirai seven times. According to investigative sources, Shirai initially stated that he did not know anything, but said in March, 'I went near her workplace at around 6 a.m. on Dec. 20, but couldn't meet her.' The investigation made no progress, and it was revealed in April that Shirai had flown to the United States. From December to late April, the investigation was primarily handled by the prefectural police's community safety general affairs division, which deals with crime prevention and missing persons. The police's first criminal investigation division was notified of the case on April 30, when a bag containing a body was found in a residential home. 'It is no wonder that the police were criticized for underestimating the danger,' a senior police official said.
Yomiuri Shimbun
04-05-2025
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Man Arrested over Body Found in Bag in Eastern Japan
The Yomiuri Shimbun Police officers search the home where a body was found in Kawasaki on Friday. YOKOHAMA (Jiji Press) — Japanese police on Saturday arrested a man, 27, for allegedly abandoning a body that was found in a bag in his house in the city of Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, eastern Japan. The body was identified as that of Asahi Okazaki, a 20-year-old part-timer and Kawasaki resident, who was once a girlfriend of the suspect, Hideyuki Shirai, according to the Kanagawa prefectural police department. Shirai admitted to the allegations in police questioning and said he was once in a dating relationship with Okazaki. The Kanagawa police will continue their investigations into the case, suspecting that Shirai knows about circumstances surrounding the death of the woman. Okazaki's body was found under the floor of the suspect's house, according to investigative sources. The prefectural police department suspects that the man hid the body to prevent it from being found. As part of the investigations, the police plan to ask relatives of Shirai who were living with the suspect. Shirai allegedly abandoned Okazaki's body in his house sometime between Dec. 20 and 30 last year. According to the sources, Shirai traveled abroad early last month. When he arrived back at Tokyo's Haneda Airport on Saturday, investigators from the Kanagawa prefectural police department asked him to come voluntarily for questioning. Kanagawa police officers found the body in the bag when they searched the man's house Wednesday on suspicion of violating the stalking regulation law. Part of the body had been skeletonized. An autopsy found that the body had signs of being burned and that more than a month has passed since the death. The cause of death remains unknown. According to Okazaki's relatives and others, she went missing on Dec. 20 last year. Before that, Okazaki often consulted people around her and police, complaining that she had been harassed and stalked by Shirai. On Dec. 23, Okazaki's father reported to police that his daughter went unaccounted for. On Saturday, the 51-year-old father visited a police station in Kawasaki with dozens of others including relatives and lodged a protest, claiming that the prefectural police department's investigations were inappropriate. According to the father, a glass window at the house of Okazaki's grandmother where the victim was taking shelter from stalking by the suspect was broken on Dec. 22 last year, but the police said that no foul play was suspected. 'They didn't take any photos or fingerprints. They just left the scene without doing anything,' he complained. The father also said that even after he reported his daughter's disappearance and submitted a victim report, the police continued to claim that her case did not appear to be a criminal incident. Meanwhile, an official at the Kanagawa police department said, 'We recognize the seriousness of the incident and will work to identify any issues for which improvements should have been made.' Since Okazaki went missing on Dec. 20, the prefectural police questioned Shirai on a voluntary basis seven times by late March this year. Police officers also visited Shirai's house. But his relatives did not allow officers to check the situation under the floor where Okazaki's body was discovered, saying that they were in the middle of a meal.
