Shinjuku Tower Murder Case, “My Son Isn’t a Stalker,” Father’s Defense Versus Suspect’s Stalking Habit – The Key Differences

3 ～I think it was three to four years ago. One day, he suddenly said, ‘I’m leaving home in the fall.’ I asked him why, and he said, ‘I might get married. I asked him why, and he said, ‘I might get married.’ After that, he sold his car. I sold the car to make funds for the marriage. (I was able to buy a luxury car because) I had been saving steadily and was not extravagant. I spent my salary on cars and motorcycles. It seems the girl (Hirasawa-san) told him, ‘If you really want to get married, sell the car and motorcycle for money. He borrowed money from the bank, including his savings, and added more to it and gave it to her. My son is not a stalker.”

Toshino Hirasawa, 25, a resident, was murdered on the premises of a tower apartment building in Shinjuku, Tokyo, early on the 8th. The father of the suspect, Manabu Wakui, 51, whose occupation is unknown, was sent to prosecutors on suspicion of murder the following day.

After I gave her the money I got from selling the motorcycle and the car, her attitude changed and she became cold. It was about 20 to 30 million yen in total. I told my son, ‘She’s just after the money, isn’t she? He wouldn’t listen to me. He said, ‘She’s quiet, cute, kind, and nice. I’ve never brought him home. I think they went out to dinner and on dates. Everyone, including my wife, is against it.

Wakui’s father says that the suspect is not a stalker. Many online reactions to this incident include “a pure middle-aged man was cheated on by a slutty, beautiful woman.

However, in May ’22, Wakui was arrested with a written warning under the Stalker Regulation Law for ambushing Hirasawa in front of his home and other places. After that, he is said to have stopped stalking Ms. Hirasawa for a while, but an interview with “FRIDAY Digital” revealed that he had been stalking another woman.

From ’23 to ’24, the police received at least six cases of consultations concerning stalking by the suspect Wakui. There have been multiple victims, all of whom are different women from Ms. Hirasawa. It seems that it was not about stalking or ambushing them, but rather annoying behavior such as sending letters repeatedly. In one case, the same woman visited the police twice to ask for advice, perhaps because of his persistent approach.

In response to his son’s violent actions, the father emphasized that Wakui was not a stalker. However, was Wakui really just fooled? The father’s defense and the consultations with the police about past stalking behavior diverge too widely.

Wakui divorced about five years ago, and it was after that that he met Hirasawa. She must have filled a part of his loneliness. Having been betrayed by her as well, he may have tried to fill his loneliness with another woman.

Did his selfish love for a woman 26 years his junior finally erupt?