Exploring the Tragic Motive Behind the 77-Year-Old Husband’s Alleged Killing of His Wife

His wife stood in front of his car.

“A woman in her 70s lying on the street, bleeding and unconscious.”

The 119 emergency call from a passerby came around 5:30 AM on December 27. The scene was on a street in Edogawa Ward, and the woman was transported to a hospital but later confirmed deceased.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Police searched for the vehicle that fled the scene after reviewing nearby surveillance footage, finding it in Funabashi City around 1 PM that same day. The driver, Naruo Nakamura (77), unemployed from Edogawa Ward, was apprehended and arrested on suspicion of murder. The deceased woman was Nakamura’s wife, Akiko (77).

“According to the police investigation, Nakamura and Akiko lived near the scene. Nakamura confessed, saying, ‘My wife suspected me of infidelity, and after a heated argument, I lost control and ran her over with my car.’ After the argument, he reportedly drove to a parking lot a few dozen meters from his home to cool off, but Akiko stood in front of the car.”

The entire incident was captured on security cameras.

In the early morning darkness of the parking lot, a white compact car suddenly accelerated as its headlights shone. Two meters ahead, a woman tried to stop the vehicle by standing in front of it. The car initially paused, but in the next moment… it was a brief but tragic event lasting only about five seconds.

Was this a mistake born from a brief moment of uncontrolled anger? A writer familiar with marital issues notes, “Older couples often struggle to forgive one another.”

“In old age, it’s common for things that were once forgiven to become intolerable. As people age, their emotional regulation diminishes, and their true personality emerges more strongly.”

This inability to manage anger often leads to a tendency to continually reject the other person, causing resentment to build. In cases where couples live together, this sense of entrapment intensifies, fueling ongoing dissatisfaction. The number of senior domestic violence consultations is not insignificant.

Perhaps this tragedy stemmed from long-standing grievances between the couple.

 

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