Shocking Eyewitness Accounts from Neighbors at the Dojima River Body Discovery Scene in Osaka

Once again, a strange and gruesome incident occurred in Osaka. On March 19, around 1:50 PM, a passerby called the police reporting that “there seems to be pieces of meat coming out of a plastic bag” along the Dojima River promenade in Osaka’s Fukushima Ward.

When the police arrived, they found a green plastic bag containing the meat pieces. A forensic examination revealed that the pieces were part of a male body of unknown age. The bag measured 48 cm in length and 58 cm in width, containing about 10 pieces of meat and approximately 20 bone fragments.

On the same day, the police conducted a search of the area along with the on-site investigation, but they did not find any other body parts, including the head.

Three days after the discovery, on the afternoon of the 22nd, plainclothes police officers were interviewing passersby and nearby residents at the scene. One woman, who often walks in the area, was able to share her experience.

“I walk here every day from my home a bit farther away. I think it was Tuesday, the 18th. When I passed by, I noticed a black plastic bag lying there, but I didn’t pay much attention. However, when I passed again on the 19th, the same bag was slightly torn, and several birds were pecking at the contents. When I walked by, the birds flew away, but once I moved further, they started pecking again. I thought maybe it was just some food scraps since they were eating the meat. I thought it was wrong to leave trash like that here.

But I was really shocked when I heard it was a person inside. The other side of the promenade has a bright atmosphere, but this side feels a little eerie at night.”

The area around the scene is home to the Grand Cube Osaka, a venue known for hosting large international conferences like the G7 summit, and the prestigious Rihga Royal Hotel Osaka, where royalty and foreign dignitaries stay. Additionally, TV Asahi’s broadcast company and the Asahi Broadcasting Corporation headquarters are nearby.

Recently, tower apartments have been rapidly completed in the area, making it a far cry from a secluded location. The body was found right in the heart of Osaka.

Since the beginning of 2025, the murder cases in Osaka have been particularly brutal. Starting with the robbery-murder and corpse mutilation and abandonment case in Higashi-Osaka City in January, the concrete-filled girl abandonment case in Yao City in February, and the brainwashing suicide encouragement case by a self-proclaimed fortune teller in Kawachinagano City in early March, these horrendous events have been drawing attention. With the Osaka Kansai Expo just a month away, the situation in Osaka has garnered significant focus.

There is an urgent need for a swift resolution to the case and improvement in public safety in Osaka.