58-Year-Old Man Glares at Photographer After Arrest for Stabbing Wife in Supermarket

A woman is found bloodied and collapsed in front of a bathroom stall, with her husband standing next to her holding a knife.

On April 13, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police’s Higashimurayama Station arrested Takayuki Kanesawa (58), an unknown man in terms of address and occupation, on suspicion of attempted murder. He is accused of stabbing his wife, Masayo (56), who is also unknown in terms of occupation, to death.

“The incident occurred on the morning of April 13, just after 10:30 a.m. at the Seiyu Kiyose store near Kiyose Station on the Seibu Ikebukuro Line. It was a calm Sunday, and the store was crowded with shoppers. The Kanesawa couple entered the supermarket together. Shortly after, Kanesawa went to the third-floor household goods section and purchased a knife with a blade approximately 18 cm long.

Kanesawa then went to the women’s restroom on the third floor, where he repeatedly stabbed his wife, Masayo, with the newly bought knife. A witness called 110, and the police arrived and arrested Kanesawa, who was standing in the restroom holding the knife. Masayo was stabbed multiple times, including in the right side of her abdomen, and died at the hospital to which she was transported,” said a reporter from a national newspaper’s social department.

“The knife was purchased to threaten her,” said the suspect.

 

In response to police questioning, Takayuki Kanesawa reportedly admitted to the charges and gave the following statement:

“I did indeed stab her after we had an argument. We had ongoing financial troubles over an inheritance. I bought the knife to threaten her.”

A photographer from our magazine captured Kanesawa’s transfer on April 15. As the shutter clicked, Kanesawa glared at the photographer, appearing menacing.

Crime journalist and former Kanagawa Prefecture police detective, Tahei Ogawa, provided the following analysis:

“While Kanesawa claimed he bought the knife to threaten his wife, I sense a strong intent to kill. It is certain that he repeatedly stabbed the woman with a knife during their argument, possibly in a fit of rage, or maybe because he wanted to make his point before any discussion.

The fact that the attack occurred in the restroom also shows intention. On a weekend morning, a public area like the sales floor would have many customers and staff, making it difficult to carry out the attack. In a restroom, however, there are fewer people, so he might have thought it would be easier to complete the crime.”

The police have changed the charge from attempted murder to murder and are continuing their investigation.