Captured: Kazuko Fukuda, Japan’s Most Infamous Fugitive, Weeps Tears of Relief upon Arrest

Satoshi Kirishima, 70, who was wanted for his involvement in a series of corporate bombings in the 1970s, has been on the run for 49 years and died in a hospital in Kanagawa Prefecture, where he was hospitalized. He had ended his life as a fugitive under a false name and stated that he wanted to die under the name “Satoshi Kirishima” in his final days.

A search for “fugitive” and “report” brings up the name of former inmate Kazuko Fukuda, the most famous fugitive in Japanese history, known as “the woman with seven faces. She was the first in Japan to have a bounty placed on her head, was arrested 21 days before the statute of limitations expired, and was the subject of a TV drama.

On July 29, 1997, I was on my way to Nagoya on the Shinkansen bullet train to cover the twin long-lived “Kin-san and Gin-san” who were very popular at the time. Just before arriving at Nagoya Station, I received the news that “Kazuko Fukuda had been arrested,” and I, who was covering the case, hurried to Fukui.

I had covered Kazuko Fukuda for about 10 years. I interviewed her at the snack shop in Kanazawa where she worked, the Japanese sweets store where she became a common-law wife, and her own son. I interviewed her own son and others.

In the same month of the statute of limitations, “Nice Day” (Fuji TV), on which I was appearing at the time, used almost all of its airtime to broadcast “Kazuko Fukuda: Special program just before the statute of limitations for fugitive criminals,” which was the first time a bounty was introduced in Japan.

And in the program

“I know you are looking forward to …… me getting caught. I won’t make such a screw-up. I’ll hang up, I don’t want to be traced. Watch out, watch out …….”

Fukuda’s voice was repeatedly broadcast.

When I received the news of the arrest, I intuitively assumed that it was a report from a viewer of the program. Although I was unable to confirm this, subsequent news reports indicated that the caller had reported the incident.

“It sounded just like the voice on the wide-screen TV show,” the caller said.

I have no doubt that the exposure on the program led to the report.