[Playback 2015] Nakano Theater Murder: Actress’s Dream Ends at 25

What did FRIDAY report 10, 20, or 30 years ago? Here’s a look back at the topics that made headlines at the time [Playback Friday]. This time, we revisit the September 18, 2015 issue, which featured: “Tokyo Nakano: Beautiful Theater Troupe Member Strangled Naked — An Actress’s Dream Shattered in the Big City.”

The “Nakano Theater Troupe Murder Case” involved a young woman who moved to Tokyo to pursue her dream of becoming an actress and was found dead in her Nakano apartment. Who was the victim, and why was she killed? This article reports on the case as it unfolded, with all ages and titles reflecting the time. Text within 《》quotes the original article.

Naked and on her back at the door

《The aspiring actress was found lying naked on her back in the apartment’s entrance. A towel blanket covered her face; when lifted, her face was badly congested. Marks from strangulation were visible on her neck.

Around 10 p.m. on August 26, A-san (25) was discovered dead in her room on the second floor of a Nakano, Tokyo apartment. The entrance was locked, creating what is called a “locked-room” scenario. There were no signs of the room being ransacked.

“Other than a 1–2 cm-wide strangulation mark on her neck, there were no noticeable injuries or bruises. The cause of death was asphyxiation due to neck compression. The room key seems to have been taken, and her wallet, tote bag, and black backpack were missing,” said an investigation source.

There were no signs of sexual assault.

“Skin fragments believed to belong to the perpetrator were found under the victim’s nails, and saliva was detected around her mouth and upper body. Male DNA was detected, but there was no semen,” reported a social affairs journalist.》

A-san was from Miyagi Prefecture. A high school classmate described her personality:

“She was a girl with memorable dimples when she smiled. She was reserved, so it’s hard to believe the reports suggesting she had trouble with men.”

After graduating from a local university, she moved to Tokyo, working part-time while pursuing her dream of becoming an actress. The apartment where the incident occurred was a 19-year-old, three-story reinforced concrete building. Her 18㎡ studio lacked an auto-lock system, making the rent affordable at around 50,000 yen. The article at the time described her living situation as follows.

It was believed to be the work of a familiar face

Though the room was cramped and far from modern, she was striving toward her dream. Her part-time job was at an izakaya in the bustling Shinjuku area. To prioritize theater rehearsals, she worked from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. on her shifts. On Twitter, she wrote:

“Working at the izakaya is fun. Why do drunk people want to take their clothes off?”
“My part-time coworkers are quitting. I’ll miss them.”

Who killed A-san, who was chasing her dream while struggling to make ends meet? Records show she read a LINE message just after 12:30 a.m. on the 25th, the day before her body was found, but she never showed up for theater rehearsal at 11 a.m. that morning. A downstairs neighbor testified that they heard loud thumping on the second floor and a woman’s moaning at night. From this, investigators concluded the crime likely occurred in the early hours to late morning of the 25th.

As her former classmate mentioned, early reports included accounts of A-san having trouble with a man, and the first suspect was her boyfriend, a fellow theater troupe member. However, DNA found at the scene, believed to belong to the perpetrator, did not match him or anyone in her immediate circle, and the investigation began to drag on.

“Initially, we thought the suspect was likely someone she knew. But now we are expanding the investigation beyond her social circle, steadily examining security camera footage and following leads,” said an investigative source.

Nearby residents also testified:

“Police asked if we had seen any suspicious people around here recently.”

A-san had been scheduled to appear in her troupe’s upcoming performance. The troupe’s blog expressed her excitement:

“This stage, created by our unique members, is going to be such a heartwarming production — I’m already thrilled.”

At just 25, her dream of becoming an actress was cruelly cut short — the depth of her regret and loss is unimaginable.

The perpetrator was a complete stranger

On March 12, 2016, a man identified as X (37 at the time) was arrested. He had been living about 300 meters from A-san’s apartment at the time of the incident. Shortly after the crime, he moved out of his apartment and returned to his family home in Fukushima Prefecture. X had no prior connection to A-san, and the attack was random. At the time of his arrest, he initially claimed, “I don’t know the victim at all. I have no memory of going to her place, and I didn’t kill her.” He later admitted to murdering A-san. In April 2019, X was sentenced to life imprisonment.

A week after the incident, a man began his own independent investigation to find the culprit: A-san’s former boyfriend, Yasuzo Utsugi (31 at the time). After giving up acting following the stage production A-san was supposed to perform in, he worked part-time during the day and searched nightly around the crime scene for the perpetrator. His driving force was pure hatred aimed at the person who had wronged his late girlfriend. He received news of X’s arrest one morning while visiting A-san’s grave in Sendai. Even then, he could not fully find closure, and he later met with X in the detention center.

About four years ago, Utsugi resumed his acting career. Ten years after the incident, in August of this year, he spoke about his current feelings on his YouTube channel, Hikage no Koe:

“First, I want to achieve the dream we shared: to become a working actor. And eventually, to stand on the stage of the Academy Awards.”

He said he had spoken with A-san’s family and reflected, “Ten years went by in the blink of an eye.” True closure for A-san—whose life and dreams were cut short at 25—remains something that must still be achieved.