A 51-year-old suspect was arrested in the fatal knife attack on a 25-year-old woman in Shinjuku, Tokyo, on May 8. Investigators revealed that he stated that he had been waiting for her since the night before.
The suspect was previously arrested for stalking the woman, and the Tokyo Metropolitan Police are investigating the details.
Shortly after 3 A.M. on May 8, Toshino Hirasawa, unemployed, 25, a resident of the apartment, was stabbed to death at an apartment building in Nishi Shinjuku, Tokyo.
The police arrested Manabu Wakui, 51, from Kawasaki City, Kanagawa, on suspicion of attempted murder, and on May 9 the charge was switched to murder and sent to the Public Prosecutor’s Office.
The suspect “had been waiting for her since the night before”
Previous investigations have revealed that Hirasawa was attacked as she came out of a convenience store on the first floor of the apartment. According to investigators, the suspect stated that he had been waiting for her since the night before.
The suspect was a customer at a “girl’s bar” that the victim used to run in Ueno, Tokyo, and stated that he was going to ask for more than 10 million yen back that he had put up to support the bar. He also stated that he had made the money by selling his car and motorbike.
Reported the sale of motorbike and car on social media?
Posts on the suspect’s social media reported the sale of a motorbike and a car in quick succession three years ago.
In November 2021, he posted photos of his red motorbike and said: “I’ve decided to sell the motorbike I have cherished for 16 years. It was the best motorbike I ever owned. Thank you for everything you’ve done for me. Take care”.
The following month, he posted again with photos of his red car: “I sold my car, which I drove for 20 years and 9 months. Thank you for all you’ve done. The new owner will take good care of it”.
Consulted the police about stalking three years ago
The police said Hirasawa first contacted them in December 2021, to report that she had been stalked by the suspect, and that he had been a pestering customer at the bar, saying “Let’s go home together”, or being ambushed in front of the shop.
The police gave the suspect a verbal warning and advised her to contact the police immediately if anything happened and to temporarily evacuate from her home to another location. Since then, police officers regularly contacted her to check on her safety, but the stalking stopped, and at her request, the response was terminated in March 2022.
Banned from the shop and arrested on suspicion of violating the Stalking Regulation Act
The suspect had been a customer during this period, but was banned from the bar in March 2022 due to a series of problems with the bar. The following month, the second report was received from the suspect that the customer she had banned was waiting for her in front of her house.
On May 20, the following month, the police issued a written warning under the Stalking Regulation Act. However, he was arrested on May 25 on suspicion of violating the Act, as the stalking behavior was repeated afterwards.
During the investigation at the time, he admitted to the charges and stated that he liked her and went to the shop thinking that one day he would be able to be her boyfriend. “If I couldn’t have a relationship with her, I wanted the money back, so I followed her around” and showed signs of remorse.
Tokyo Metropolitan Police: We’ve taken all possible measures
He was later released and his prosecution was suspended, so the police issued an order prohibiting him from ambushing her in front of her home and entering the shop for one year from June 2022 to June 2023.
Furthermore, the safety checks were carried out once a month on her, and there was no contact or trouble.
In July 2023, after the period of the restraining order had expired, the police had finished dealing with the stalking case because she didn’t wish to extend the period or continue dealing with the case.
The Tokyo Police Department stated that they are aware that they have taken all possible measures based on the situation and wishes of the victim.
Suspect’s father
The father who lives with the suspect was interviewed. The father had never met the victim, but around autumn three years ago, the suspect told him that there was a woman he was thinking of marrying.
The suspect met the woman because they were both fans of a Korean female idol group, and later started going to the bar owned by her. The suspect also told his father that he had given her approximately 20 million yen, which he had raised by selling his morterbike and car as wedding money.
The suspect explained that he then went to the bar to ask for money back and found that she became cold after he had given her the money.
The suspect was working as a delivery driver, and on May 7, the day before the incident, he left for work around noon, looking the same as usual.
The father said that he was normally a quiet person and didn’t seem to have changed just before the incident. “I thought it was strange because he didn’t come home back at the usual time. When I heard about the incident in the press, I hoped it was a joke.”
Neighborings
A woman in her 60’s living near the suspect’s home said: “I often saw him polishing his motorbike in front of his house. He had expensive cars and bikes, but he told me a long time ago that he was going to sell them. I was surprised because I didn’t get the impression that he was bothering people or being violent.”
Another woman in her 60’s said: “I get the impression that he is a quiet person, although he does return greetings when I greet him. Until a few years ago, he used to drive a red luxury sports car and used to polish it in front of his house, but one day I didn’t see his car anymore and wondered what happened to it. I was surprised to hear that he had been arrested.”
According to a man who had conversed with him three years ago, on November 2021, the suspect told him that he had put the car up for auction. It sold for about 10 million yen.
“As a fellow motorbike enthusiast, I wondered why he was giving it away. When I heard about the incident, I thought no way”.
