Suspected of murdering his wife at a long-established sake brewery…Incumbent Nagano Prefectural Assemblyman “Surprised Flesh Just Before Arrest”

An incumbent lawmaker has been arrested for the murder of his wife.

The suspect, Daisuke Maruyama, 48, a member of the Nagano Prefectural Assembly, was arrested on suspicion of murder by Nagano Prefectural Police on November 28. The suspect, Maruyama, is currently serving his second term as chairman of the prefectural assembly’s General Affairs, Planning, and Police Committee. He is also the owner of Shokame Sake Brewery (Shiojiri City, Nagano Prefecture), a long-established sake brewery that has been in business since the Meiji Era.

The incident was discovered shortly after 6:30 a.m. on September 29 last year. Maruyama’s wife, Kimi (47 at the time), was found lying on her back near a safe on the first floor of their home and office next to the brewery. Their son found her and called the police. The death was immediately confirmed. As a result of the autopsy, the cause of death was determined to be asphyxiation due to strangulation.

The prefectural police set up an investigation headquarters at the Shiojiri police station to investigate the murder with a 140-member team and called for information in front of JR Shiojiri Station and other locations.

The investigation was difficult at first because there was little physical evidence. We gradually narrowed down the investigation targets by interviewing people in the area and analyzing the video footage from security cameras. Finally, more than a year after the incident, we were able to arrest Maruyama. The suspect has denied committing the crime.

A couple that gets along so well with each other is also disgusting.”

In September of this year, just prior to his arrest, Maruyama was responding to a gathering of media representatives. The first he heard of the incident was “a phone call from my son around 7:00 a.m. (on the day of the incident), saying, ‘Mom is in trouble. As for the suspect not being caught, he commented, “I want to know what happened rather than punishment. I hope the culprit is caught soon. As for the couple’s relationship, he said, “I think it’s normal. I also think it’s weird that the couple has been close for decades.

He also said, “I don’t know what the culprit looks like, so I don’t feel anger.” As for his own alibi, he explained. ‘I was staying at a Diet member’s house in Nagano City to attend a prefectural assembly meeting (on the day of the incident).

Indeed, it is confirmed that on the night of September 28, the day before the incident, Maruyama drank alcohol with his colleagues and was at the assembly hall until around 11:30 pm. After killing his wife in the early morning hours of September 29, he is believed to have returned to the assembly hall.

Around the safe at the crime scene, there were marks left by someone who had entered the room with their feet on the ground. It is believed that the robbery was disguised as a robbery. No details are known as to the motive for the crime.

The business situation at the Shokame Brewery, of which Maruyama is the president, was apparently not in good shape. The police are investigating the case on the grounds that the couple had some kind of trouble.

In response to the arrest of the incumbent legislator, Governor Morikazu Abe of Nagano Prefecture announced on November 29, “I was very surprised to hear that Daisuke Maruyama, a prefectural assembly member, was arrested yesterday on suspicion of murder. We will continue to monitor the progress of the investigation.