Tokyo bar operator arrested over girlfriend's body found in Miyagi mountains
In short
Tokyo police arrested a 36-year-old man on Oct. 5 on suspicion of abandoning the body of his 25-year-old girlfriend in the mountains of Kurihara, Miyagi Prefecture. The body was found on Oct. 4 near Lake Hanayama, after the woman's mother told police in late September she could not reach her daughter. The suspect denies the charge, and the Yomiuri Shimbun reported police had responded to earlier trouble between the two, including a September referral to prosecutors on suspicion of injury.
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Tokyo's Metropolitan Police Department arrested a 36-year-old man on Oct. 5 on suspicion of abandoning the body of his girlfriend in the mountains of Kurihara, Miyagi Prefecture. Nippon TV News identified the suspect as Takuya Miura, who runs a bar in Tokyo's Nerima Ward; the Yomiuri Shimbun described him as a 36-year-old bar operator living in Nerima Ward, while TBS NEWS DIG described him as self-employed. The victim was Maho Muroga, 25, a part-time worker who lived with the suspect, according to Nippon TV News and the Yomiuri Shimbun. Police suspect he abandoned her body on Sept. 28. Both outlets reported that he denied the charge, telling investigators he had “no memory” of it. [ 1 , 2 , 4 , 5 ]
The Yomiuri Shimbun reported that the body was found on Oct. 4 on a roadside near Lake Hanayama in Kurihara. Nippon TV News said the body was wrapped in a plastic bag from around the shoulders upward and showed no visible external injuries; the Yomiuri Shimbun said the bag covered the area from the head to around the shoulders, and that there were no conspicuous external injuries. Both outlets reported that police are also investigating how the woman died. [ 1 , 4 ]
Nippon TV News reported that police began searching after the woman's mother told them she could not reach her daughter. The mother said she had lost contact on Sept. 27, according to Nippon TV News, while the Yomiuri Shimbun said the consultation came on Sept. 30. Police traced the suspect's movements through a relay of security camera footage and analysis of a smartphone and determined he had travelled to Miyagi Prefecture, Nippon TV News reported. [ 1 , 4 ]
The Yomiuri Shimbun reported that police had dealt with several earlier troubles between the two. The woman came to Tokyo from elsewhere around July last year, met the man as a customer at the bar he ran and began living with him around September last year, the paper said. Between March and June this year there were three calls to the 110 emergency number from the man saying he was having trouble with her, and officers from the Nerima police station gave the two oral guidance. On July 21 her mother told local police her daughter had said she was beaten and was going to a hospital, and when Nerima officers responded the woman said she had been struck on the nose two days earlier, according to the Yomiuri Shimbun. Police sent papers to the Tokyo District Prosecutors Office on Sept. 2 on suspicion of injury, the paper reported, and when officers met the woman on Sept. 25 she said they had made up and were still living together. [ 4 ]
The Metropolitan Police Department's personal safety division said it believed it had taken measures to secure their safety, including separating the two and tracking the situation as needed, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported. On Oct. 5, police inspected a vehicle believed to have been used in the crime at the Nerima police station, where the suspect is being held, according to Nippon TV News. [ 1 , 4 ]
Why it matters
The case has focused attention on how police handled repeated earlier trouble between the pair, with the Yomiuri Shimbun reporting prior police responses, oral guidance and a written referral to prosecutors on suspicion of injury. The Metropolitan Police Department's personal safety division said it believed it had taken measures to secure their safety. The two outlets differ on whether the suspect is best described as a bar operator or as self-employed, and police have not said how the woman died.
Key facts
- Police arrested a 36-year-old man on Oct. 5 on suspicion of abandoning the body of a 25-year-old woman in the mountains of Kurihara, Miyagi Prefecture. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
- Nippon TV News identified the suspect as Takuya Miura, who runs a bar in Tokyo's Nerima Ward; the Yomiuri Shimbun described him as a 36-year-old bar operator in Nerima Ward, while TBS NEWS DIG described him as self-employed. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
- The victim was Maho Muroga, 25, who lived with the suspect, according to Nippon TV News and the Yomiuri Shimbun. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
- Police suspect the body was abandoned on Sept. 28, and it was found on Oct. 4 near Lake Hanayama in Kurihara, according to Nippon TV News and the Yomiuri Shimbun. [ 1 , 4 ]
- The body showed no visible external injuries and was wrapped in a plastic bag around the head and shoulders area, the reports said. [ 1 , 4 ]
- The suspect denies the charge, saying he has “no memory” of it, according to Nippon TV News and the Yomiuri Shimbun. [ 1 , 4 , 5 ]
- The Yomiuri Shimbun reported the man was referred to the Tokyo District Prosecutors Office on Sept. 2 on suspicion of injuring the woman, whose nose was broken. [ 4 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Police arrested a 36-year-old man on suspicion of abandoning the body of a 25-year-old woman in the mountains of Kurihara, Miyagi Prefecture. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]
- The victim was the suspect's girlfriend and lived with him. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
- The suspect denies the charge. [ 1 , 4 , 5 ]
- The body was found in the mountains of Kurihara. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
- The suspect ran a bar in Tokyo, where he is based in Nerima Ward. [ 1 , 3 , 4 ]
- The body was abandoned on Sept. 28. [ 1 , 4 ]
Still unclear
- Whether the suspect is a bar operator or self-employed. Nippon TV News and the Yomiuri Shimbun describe him as a bar operator, while TBS NEWS DIG describes him as self-employed in Nerima Ward.
- Exactly when the woman's mother consulted police. Nippon TV News says the mother made contact in September and had been unable to reach her daughter since Sept. 27, while the Yomiuri Shimbun says the consultation was on Sept. 30.
- How the woman died. The documents report no cause of death; police said they are investigating the circumstances.
- Whether the vehicle inspected by police was used in the crime. Nippon TV News says police inspected a vehicle believed to have been used, without stating a conclusion.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- On Oct. 5, Nippon TV News reports the arrest of a 36-year-old bar operator in Tokyo on suspicion of abandoning the body of his 25-year-old girlfriend in the mountains of Kurihara, Miyagi Prefecture. [ 1 ]
- TBS NEWS DIG reports the arrest, with its reporter describing the site as having no homes nearby and dense trees. [ 2 ]
- The Yomiuri Shimbun reports that police had responded to earlier troubles between the two, and that the man had been referred to prosecutors on suspicion of injuring the woman in September. [ 4 ]
- Nippon TV News reports the suspect has denied the charge, saying he has no memory of it. [ 5 ]