Unsolved Mystery Lingers in Nasu Town Couple’s Murder

On May 6, three weeks after the April 16 incident, the common-law husband of the couple’s eldest daughter was arrested as the main suspect in the case of Ryutaro Takarajima, 55, a businessman who owned more than a dozen restaurants in Tokyo, and his wife Sachiko, 56, who was found burned to death in Nasu Town, Tochigi Prefecture.

The Metropolitan Police Department arrested the suspect, Seiha Sekine, 32, who had been living with the eldest daughter, on suspicion of destruction of a corpse. The suspect Sekine was the on-site manager at Mr. and Mrs. Takarajima’s company. In recent years, however, they had been at odds over management policies and the distribution of sales. The day before the incident, he was seen on security cameras searching for property in Tokyo with Mr. and Mrs. Takarajima, which led to his arrest,” said an investigator with the Metropolitan Police Department.

The arrests brought the total number of arrests in the case to six. The day after Sekine’s arrest, Ryo Maeda, 36, a real estate company employee in Chiba Prefecture, was also arrested on suspicion of destruction of a corpse. Other suspects arrested on similar charges include former actor Yohito Wakayama (20) and South Korean national Kwang-Ki Kang (20), who are alleged to have been responsible for the execution, Aya Ken Hirayama (25), who is alleged to have acted as an intermediary, and Hikaru Sasaki (28), who is alleged to have been responsible for giving instructions.

What is puzzling is the involvement of the eldest daughter, who was in a common-law relationship with Sekine. Did the eldest daughter, who was the closest person to Sekine and Hikaru Sasaki, really have no idea that her husband was going to take his parents’ lives?

The two are believed to have met more than 10 years ago. The suspect Sekine said, ‘We met when we were students. The timing of their common-law relationship is unknown, but it appears that the eldest daughter originally had another husband and divorced him several years ago.

The eldest daughter seems to be in love with the Sekine suspect, and before the incident, the rivalry between Mr. and Mrs. Takarajima vs. the Sekine suspect and the eldest daughter had deepened. In fact, in January of this year, the eldest daughter was removed from the board of directors of Mr. and Mrs. Takarajima’s company, and it is said that she could not be contacted.

It is possible that the eldest daughter was involved in the crime in some way. …… A source at the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department whispered, “There are rumors among investigators that the daughter was involved in the crime.

A source at the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department whispered, “It seems that those involved in the investigation believe that the daughter was not involved in the crime. This is because the testimonies of five of the six people arrested, excluding the husband, do not confirm the involvement of the eldest daughter. However, she remains a key person in the case. The interrogations are continuing with great caution.”

The question still remains. One question is whether Sekine is really the mastermind behind the crime. Sasaki, the suspect who ordered the dumping of the bodies, told investigators that he was asked by Sekine to dispose of the bodies, and the authorities believe that he is the real mastermind behind the crime. Crime journalist Taihei Ogawa followed suit.

The suspect and Mr. and Mrs. Takarajima are said to have had financial troubles over company profits. In addition, there is a strong possibility that Sekine had a personal grudge against Sachiko. Sachiko was said to have often interfered with Sekine’s friendships. When you look at the body, only Sachiko’s skull was fractured, not Ryutaro’s, who was male, for some reason. That could be a possible motive.”

With the true culprit identified, the case seems to have come to a close. However, there is a possibility that more arrests will be made in the future.

At the time of the incident, a person other than Maeda, who worked for a real estate company in Ueno, emerged as a suspect in the investigation. It is said that this person brought Maeda and Sekine together, and they have not yet been removed from the investigation.

There are other suspects as well. According to the May 9 issue of “Shukan Bunshun,” this person has known Sekine for about two years, received a large sum of money from Sekine, and arranged for the use of the cell phone used in the case.

Did the arrest of Sekine really bring an end to this unprecedented “multiple commission murder”? Or will there be new arrests? …… The truth of the matter awaits.

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