The Hidden Truth Behind Murder Case Involving Two Myanmar Nationals

Tragedy in the early morning

In the early morning hours, the residential neighborhood was thrown into chaos as emergency responders and police officers rushed to the scene. When one of the paramedics shouted “Cardiac arrest!” screams reportedly erupted from among the gathered residents.

Around 4:30 a.m. on June 15, a man believed to be from Myanmar was stabbed in the chest on a street in Noda City, Chiba Prefecture, and later confirmed dead at the hospital. Chiba Prefectural Police arrested a man who identified himself as a technical trainee, Ton Ton Win (24), at the scene on suspicion of attempted murder. The charge was later upgraded to murder.

“There was a 110 emergency call reporting ‘a man in his 20s or 30s shouting loudly,’ and a 119 call from someone believed to be an acquaintance of the victim or suspect, saying, ‘He was slashed in the neck with a knife.’ When officers arrived at the scene, the suspect was reportedly standing in shock, holding a towel soaked in blood.

The suspect and the victim had been drinking together at the suspect’s residence just before the incident. A quarrel broke out for some reason, which escalated into a fistfight in the street. During questioning, the suspect partially denied the charges, saying, ‘The knife accidentally struck him. I didn’t stab him with intent to kill,’” explained a social affairs reporter.

According to 2023 statistics on foreigners arrested for criminal offenses under the Penal Code, individuals from Myanmar did not rank among the top 10 nationalities. However, some experts predict this number may rise. A writer familiar with issues facing foreign residents in Japan commented:

A number of technical intern trainees have disappeared

“Since the coup in February 2021, the number of Myanmar nationals coming to Japan has surged. As of the end of 2024, there are 134,574 Myanmar nationals residing in Japan, an increase of 55.5% from the previous year. Before the coup, the number was around 35,000, meaning it has nearly quadrupled in the past four years.

Since the coup, daily life in Myanmar has become difficult due to rising prices and worsening public safety. The Japanese government granted a special status of residence called ‘Designated Activities’ to Myanmar nationals as an emergency measure, which allowed most of them to stay and work in Japan. This became a major reason for the increase. In February 2024, the Myanmar military also announced the implementation of conscription, so it seems many people are coming to Japan to avoid being drafted. Arrest figures by nationality tend to be higher for countries with larger populations in Japan, such as China and Vietnam. It’s likely that the number of crimes will increase going forward.”

In Myanmar, more than 100,000 people applied to take the Japanese-Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) in 2023. Previously, only China—with its population of 1.4 billion—had exceeded 100,000 applicants. For Myanmar, with a population of about 50 million, to reach that level demonstrates just how popular Japanese has become. Japanese was reportedly already more popular than English, but the coup has prompted even more people to want to work in Japan.

“While the number of Myanmar nationals living in Japan has increased, there is also a growing problem of those who come as technical trainees and later change their visa status to ‘Designated Activities’ and effectively ‘disappear.’ Under the technical trainee program, travel and dispatching costs are borne by the companies accepting them, and job changes are not allowed. However, those under the Designated Activities status can freely change jobs. The system is being exploited, and the government is now reviewing its operation,” the same writer explained.

That said, the number of foreign nationals arrested in Japan last year was 12,170. While that marked a second consecutive annual increase, it is still significantly lower than the peak of 47,865 cases in 2005. And despite the rising number of foreign residents, the figure has hovered around 10,000 over the past decade. It’s worth keeping in mind that an increase in foreigners doesn’t necessarily mean a deterioration in public safety.