Murder of 63-Year-Old Man in Edogawa Ward: Classmates Reveal “True Face” of Junior High School Teacher Who Stabbed Him to Death

The teacher would always leave the classroom once during each class period, saying, ‘I’m going to the restroom. During recess, he would return to the staff room several times, or at any rate, he would often disappear from the presence of the students. This is just my guess, but I think he was worried about the price movements of the stock market even while he was working at …….”

The mother of a special-needs student at Matsue No. 5 Junior High School in Edogawa Ward, Tokyo, said her son’s homeroom teacher is Kosuke Omoto, 36, who was arrested on May 10 on suspicion of murder.

The suspect is suspected of breaking into the home of Masafumi Yamagishi, then 63, in Edogawa Ward, Tokyo, in February of this year and stabbing him in 20 places, including the neck and face, killing him. The suspect is said to have been in debt of several million yen due to FX investment and gambling, and is believed to have broken into Mr. Yamagishi’s home with the intention of stealing.

At a press conference held on the day of his arrest, Principal Jun Aramaki described the suspect as “a sporty and energetic mid-career teacher who sets an example for other teachers. Neighbors also described him as “a kind and gentle father who cares for his children.

However, in the course of his school life, A witnessed “another face” of the suspect. His mother testified.

I felt uncomfortable from the first day of school. When my son was holed up in the bathroom with a stomachache, Mr. Omoto asked him, ‘Are you done yet? She said that Dr. Omoto stood in front of the door for 10 minutes, asking her son, “Are you done yet? My son became completely deflated and went home without attending the ceremony.”

The parents, too, were treated with a lack of sincerity.

They would only answer yes or no to everything. They never suggested alternatives or solutions. That’s why I felt nothing but discomfort at being reported as ‘he was a hot teacher. He wasn’t the passionate type.”

Even before the incident was discovered, Mr. A had expressed his discomfort with the suspect Omoto, saying, “When he smiles, his eyes don’t smile,” and “I feel like he is always hiding something. After the incident, you took a whiteboard on which you had written your distrust of the suspect and complained to your mother that you wanted to transfer to a different school.

She said, “The person who spent the most time at the school was not the principal or his colleagues, but the students. Even before his arrest, my son had not opened up to Mr. Omoto, nor had the teacher ever been there for him. Now I have a strong distrust of the school, which describes Mr. Omoto as a ‘hot-blooded teacher. We are discussing the future with the family, considering the possibility of changing schools.

Mr. Omoto has remained silent. The school should focus on providing emotional care for the students.

From the June 2, 2023 issue of FRIDAY