Suspect Denies Crime in Akasaka Case, But Evidence Closes In

He even denies having been in Akasaka

“I didn’t do it,” he insists.

The man arrested by the Tokyo Metropolitan Police for stabbing a woman in her 40s in front of a live house in Akasaka, seriously injuring her, denies the charges and has remained silent since.

“On December 12, the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office indicted Yoichiro Otsu (43), a second sergeant stationed at the Asaka garrison of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force, for attempted murder, claiming he tried to kill the woman with a knife.

When the Metropolitan Police searched Otsu’s locker at the garrison, they found a blue work uniform stained with blood. DNA testing confirmed the blood matched the victim’s. Surveillance cameras near the scene captured a person wearing clothing similar to the seized uniform.

Otsu joined the Ground Self-Defense Force in March 2000 and, since March 2024, had been responsible for maintaining heavy equipment and machinery in the 1st Facilities Battalion at Asaka garrison. Even after the incident, he continued his duties as usual,” a national newspaper social affairs reporter said.

The incident occurred on November 16.

Around 10:30 a.m., Otsu allegedly stabbed the 40-year-old woman, who was scheduled to perform at the live house, in her left side and left palm, attempting to kill her. About five minutes later, a staff member called 110 after seeing a man being stabbed, which alerted the authorities. The woman sustained serious injuries reaching her internal organs but survived.

“Photos of Otsu and the victim together were seized from his home. They appear to have been taken years ago, possibly celebrating a birthday at a restaurant. The Metropolitan Police consider these photos as evidence of a prior relationship.

Otsu told investigators that he had met the woman via social media about nine years ago and had concealed that he was married with children while dating her. He claimed they ended the relationship amicably and there was no trouble afterward,” the same social affairs reporter added.

Despite denying the attack and claiming he wasn’t in Akasaka on the day of the incident, surveillance cameras captured a man believed to be Otsu. Analysis of about 130 cameras revealed his movements: around 6:30 a.m. on the 16th, he apparently left the garrison by bicycle and traveled to Akasaka and back, approximately 40 kilometers, changing clothes and masks along the way, perhaps to confuse investigators.

Countless Disguises That Proved Useless

A social affairs reporter explained:

“About two hours before the incident, surveillance cameras near the scene captured a man wearing a black cap, white mask, and dark clothing wandering near the location and standing in front of a poster on the building’s first floor. Just after the victim entered the building, the same man entered, then ran out and escaped on a bicycle. To avoid leaving footprints, his shoes were covered with something like a plastic bag.

When Otsu left the garrison to head to Akasaka, he was wearing a bluish outfit with a black mask. Before the attack, he changed into dark clothing with a white mask. After the attack, he cycled toward the Aoyama area, passing through Nerima Ward and entering Wako City, at which point his clothing had changed to a bluish color again, and his mask from white to black.

From Otsu’s home, a bicycle similar to the one captured on camera was found, but the saddle color differed from that seen in the footage.”

How much could changing clothes really have disrupted the investigation?

Taihei Ogawa, a former Kanagawa Prefectural Police officer and crime journalist, commented with some disbelief:

“He seriously underestimated modern forensic investigation. Maybe he used a bicycle to avoid being picked up by the N System, but he appeared on so many cameras that it was completely meaningless.

The SSBC (Support Center for Investigation and Analysis) doesn’t just check clothing color—they analyze body structure, gait (gait recognition), face recognition, and overall silhouette. Just changing clothes doesn’t fool them. Even the way someone pedals a bicycle is unique. Did he really think the SSBC would be tracking him based on shirt color? In Akasaka that morning, there were hardly any people around, yet he wandered for two hours? That’s incredibly naive.

The only thing he fooled them on was coming by bicycle from Asaka. Investigators must have thought, ‘Cycling all the way from Asaka to Akasaka?’ That physical ability and initiative—he’s a self-defense official, after all. Aside from that, the crime was truly amateurish.”

On December 17, the Metropolitan Police additionally sent Otsu to prosecutors for property damage, alleging that he spray-painted an X on a sign at the entrance of the live house. A search of his garrison quarters revealed spray paint matching the substance used on the sign.

The mounting evidence continues to point toward Otsu as the perpetrator.

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