Former Nagano Politician Arrested over Wife’s Death — Strange Remarks Preceded His Capture

“There is no error in the first trial’s finding that the defendant is the perpetrator, and no unreasonable points can be found.”

As the presiding judge delivered this verdict, the defendant reportedly wiped away profuse sweat with a handkerchief.

On October 1, the Tokyo High Court upheld the 19-year prison sentence handed down in the first trial and dismissed the appeal of former Nagano Prefectural Assembly member Daisuke Maruyama (51), who was charged with murder. Maruyama was accused of killing his wife, Ms. A (then 47), at their home and sake brewery in Shiojiri City, Nagano Prefecture.

From the moment of his arrest, Maruyama has consistently maintained his innocence, and there are still many unresolved and puzzling aspects of the case.

“The incident came to light early in the morning on September 29, 2021. Ms. A was found lying on her back on the first floor of the home office adjacent to the brewery by the couple’s son, who called 110 to report it to the police. She was soon confirmed dead. A judicial autopsy later determined the cause of death to be asphyxiation due to strangulation,” said a reporter from a national newspaper’s social affairs section.

“I just want to know what really happened.”

The prefectural police conducted the investigation with a 140-member task force, but with very little physical evidence, progress was slow. Through interviews with neighbors and analysis of surveillance footage, investigators gradually narrowed down their focus, eventually arresting defendant Daisuke Maruyama in November 2022, more than a year after the incident.

Maruyama denied the allegations during police questioning. However, just before his arrest, in September 2022, he made a series of cryptic remarks to the assembled media:

“Around 7 a.m. that morning (the day the incident was discovered), I got a call from my son saying, ‘Mom’s in trouble.’

As for the culprit, rather than wanting them punished, I just want to know what really happened. About my relationship with A—well, I think it’s kind of weird for a couple to stay lovey-dovey for decades.”

A social affairs reporter elaborated:

“Maruyama explained his alibi by saying, ‘On the day the incident was found, I was staying at the prefectural assembly lodging in Nagano City because I was attending the prefectural assembly.’

Indeed, records confirmed that he had been drinking with fellow assembly members from the evening of September 28 until around 11:30 p.m. and stayed at the assembly residence that night.

However, vehicle data and dashcam footage later revealed that Maruyama’s car had traveled more than 80 kilometersto and from his home in Shiojiri City, taking over two hours in total. Police believe that in the early hours of September 29, Maruyama drove home, killed his wife A, and then returned to the assembly lodging before morning.”

“He seemed to have avoided the N-system checkpoints.”

While a clear motive for the crime remains uncertain, investigators noted that the sake brewery where Maruyama served as president had been struggling financially, and police suspected that marital discord may have been a factor.

Former Kanagawa Prefectural Police detective and crime journalist Yasuhei Ogawa offered this analysis:

“I went to the site myself for coverage, and if the prosecution’s claims are accurate, Maruyama appeared to have acted with considerable planning.

For one, during his drive between the assembly lodging and his home in Shiojiri, he seems to have taken routes that avoided the N-system—the automatic license plate recognition cameras installed on major roads.
This suggests he didn’t want anyone to know he had gone home that night.

Also, the computer in his assembly lodging room was left powered onthroughout the night of the incident, but there was no evidence of any documents being created or edited at that time. The files he needed for assembly business had already been completed beforehand.

Leaving the computer on may well have been an attempt to fabricate an alibi.
If my assessment is correct, this was a premeditated crime.”

After the appellate ruling that upheld his 19-year prison sentence, Maruyama’s defense team immediately filed an appeal to the Supreme Court.