Tense Standoff at Funabashi Hostage Incident Threat to Kill if Police Don’t Leave

Around 6:40 a.m. on May 20, 2025, a hostage situation occurred in Natsumidai, Funabashi City, Chiba Prefecture. The suspect took his 59-year-old mother and 27-year-old sister hostage and barricaded himself in an apartment room for about seven hours.

The arrested suspect is 32-year-old unemployed Wada Kashi, who lives in the same apartment. The suspect’s brother, who lives with him, reported to the police that Wada was barricaded inside with a knife, which led to the discovery of the incident. When police arrived, Wada reportedly said things like, “If the police don’t leave, I’ll kill [someone].”

The weapons involved were two knives, but the suspect had also poured kerosene in part of the room. Firefighters also rushed to the scene, and a state of readiness was maintained in case a fire broke out, so it could be quickly extinguished.

An excessively selfish motive for the crime

Suspect Wada lived with his mother, older brother, and younger sister, but many nearby residents said they had hardly ever seen Wada and actually thought it was just a family of three. After his arrest, Wada told the police during questioning, “The day before, I was listening to music and my mother scolded me. I got angry and decided to kill my entire family.” The motive for the crime was unbearably selfish.

The area around the scene is a peaceful place with fields and farmland, but on that day, a police cordon was set up around the apartment, and a tense atmosphere surrounded the site with police, firefighters, and medical personnel coming and going.

A nearby convenience store became the frontline reporting location for the media, and many reporters were filming in booths set up by the police. The convenience store parking lot was filled with numerous unmarked police cars and ambulances, making it difficult for regular customers to find parking.

We were able to speak with a resident of the same apartment who was watching the situation from the convenience store.

“They suddenly came to the apartment and told us that an incident was happening and that we had to leave. I left the room with the police. At that time, there were no sirens or any noisy commotion outside, so until we were told to evacuate, I had no idea anything like this was going on. When I got outside, I was shocked by the number of police and firefighters. We couldn’t go back until the situation was resolved, so it was troublesome,” the resident said in surprise.

The Chiba Prefectural Police deployed the Assault and Rescue Team (ART), a breaching and rescue unit belonging to the Criminal Investigation Division’s First Investigation Section, which specializes in hostage and barricade incidents. While negotiating with suspect Wada, they were also preparing to make an entry. This unit performs missions similar to the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department’s Special Investigation Team (SIT).

They were clad in assault suits, wearing goggles, helmets, and stab-resistant neck armor, moving back and forth around the apartment. They were equipped with tools such as crowbar-like instruments for breaking glass, hammers, and devices for prying open doors.

“I surrender.”

As the stalemate continued, around 1:30 p.m., Wada opened the door and came out, where he was immediately arrested. At that time, Wada reportedly told the police officers, “I surrender.”

In front of the apartment, investigators and firefighters set up blue tarps, and the hostage mother and sister were guided to an ambulance waiting nearby, where they were checked for injuries. According to police announcements, both were unharmed and safe.

Afterward, Wada was handcuffed and escorted out of the apartment by investigators, then placed into an unmarked police car and taken to the Funabashi Police Station.

Following the arrest, the mother and sister were present as the police began a site investigation in the apartment, including forensic activities. After the investigation was completed, the cordon was lifted at 3:00 p.m., and the surrounding area returned to its usual quiet.