Revealing the Terrifying Identity of the Perpetrator in the 30 Million Yen Robbery that Killed a 90-Year-Old Woman

The prosecution has sought a heavy sentence of 25 years in prison.

On August 29, at the Tachikawa branch of the Tokyo District Court, a trial was held for former university student Issei Nakanishi (21), who is accused of robbery resulting in death. In January of last year, he allegedly killed a 90-year-old woman, identified as A, living in Komae City, Tokyo, and stole four luxury items, including a high-end wristwatch, worth approximately 590,000 yen.

“This is what’s known as a ‘dark part-time robbery’ case. Nakanishi conspired with Rikuto Nagata (22, also charged with robbery resulting in death) and others to break into A’s home. They tied her hands with zip ties, beat her with a crowbar, and caused her death. While Nakanishi understood that it was a violent crime, he argued that he was not the one who struck A and, therefore, should not be held responsible for robbery resulting in death.” (said a reporter covering the judiciary for a national newspaper)

On January 25 of last year, “FRIDAY Digital” reported in detail on the Komae robbery involving Nakanishi and Nagata. Here, we revisit the chilling methods and horrors of the “dark part-time robbery” case (with some content revised).

 

“Reward of 10 million yen for information”

 

The damage has spread across the country.

 

A group responsible for robbery incidents, mainly in the Kanto region, has apparently continued their criminal activities in western Japan, including Hiroshima and Yamaguchi. Their methods, which involve breaking into homes with 4 to 8 members, assaulting residents, and stealing cash, are strikingly similar. At least 30 similar incidents have occurred nationwide as of January last year.

 

“In one series of incidents, a 90-year-old man, Mr. A, was found dead on January 19, 2023. The police officer from the Tokyo Metropolitan Police, who had received information from the Chiba Prefectural Police, visited Mr. A’s home in Komae, Tokyo, and discovered the body. Mr. A was found with his wrists bound by zip ties and bleeding from his face, lying in the corridor of the basement.

 

Mr. A lived with his son and his family of four, but the family was out for the day. Signs of a ransacked home and multiple footprints were found inside. Mr. A’s cause of death was multiple traumatic injuries from assaults.” (a reporter from a national newspaper)

 

The perpetrators seemed to have shared information from their orchestrators via social media. Messages related to the Komae incident were found on the smartphone of a suspect arrested in another robbery in Tokyo. The messaging app used was Telegram, which is known for its high level of privacy and automatic message deletion after a certain period. 

“The orchestrators are believed to be affiliated with organized crime groups or semi-criminal organizations. It has been revealed in the trial of the arrested perpetrators that they recruited members through ‘dark jobs.’ The perpetrators reportedly did not even know the names of the orchestrators.

The perpetrators received instructions such as ‘robbery with a reward of 10 million yen’ or ‘the safe contains 100 million yen,’ and carried out the crimes with unknown members they met at the scene. It is assumed that the orchestrators determined the locations and times of the attacks based on ‘dark lists’ containing addresses, phone numbers, and family situations of elderly individuals with large amounts of cash.” (same source)

 

 

A key figure in the investigation seems to be a person who, on December 5, 2022, broke into a residence in Nakano, Tokyo, assaulted a man in his 40s, and stole approximately 30 million yen before fleeing. This individual, who has been arrested on suspicion of aggravated robbery and confessed to “beating him up,” is defendant Nagata, who resides in Kanazawa City, Ishikawa Prefecture (introduced at the beginning). Information related to the Komae incident was also found on a smartphone seized from a rental car that Nagata was using.

 

“Defendant Nagata, who is believed to be involved in multiple incidents, also seems to have joined the criminal group through ‘dark jobs.’ Originally from Kyoto, he moved to Kanazawa City as a teenager and worked in various construction companies. He reportedly became addicted to gambling and was in financial trouble. Residents of the same apartment complex mentioned that he was fond of boat racing and would talk about losing 500,000 yen in a single day. During more prosperous times, he showed off three luxury watches and asked where he could exchange them for cash.

 

On the other hand, he also appeared anxious and showed signs of fear. He would say things like, ‘Let me know if you see any suspicious cars’ and ‘If it’s the police, they might be staking out inside the car.’ When asked by residents if he was involved in anything illegal, he would vaguely respond, ‘No, not really.’ He might have been repeating crimes and fearing arrest.” (same source)

 

The trial for defendant Nakanishi, introduced at the beginning, is scheduled to deliver its verdict on September 6.