Man, 33, Charged with Stabbing 18-Year-Old Girlfriend, Claims Wife Assault Incident

The prosecution and defense presented sharply opposing arguments.

At the February 18 trial at Tokyo District Court, waterproofing contractor Ryoma Atsumi (33) faced charges of murder and corpse abandonment. He is accused of stabbing his girlfriend, office worker A (then 18), in June 2023 and leaving her body in a forest.

“Atsumi allegedly began dating A around March 2023. Just before the incident, their relationship reportedly deteriorated when A brought up breaking up. The prosecution claims Atsumi contacted her saying he wanted to return money, had her get into his car, and then killed her inside. He is also said to have called a high school friend, B (already convicted of corpse abandonment), to help dispose of A’s body in the forest in Kosuge Village, Yamanashi Prefecture.

The defense, however, presents a completely different account. They argue that B was already in the car. During an argument, A allegedly pulled a knife from her bag, and a scuffle ensued in which the knife accidentally stabbed her. Atsumi admits to disposing of the body but claims he did not commit murder and pleads not guilty,” said a national newspaper judicial reporter.

FRIDAY reported in detail on Atsumi’s arrest in the December 22, 2023 issue, highlighting his family troubles and shocking behavior at the time.

“I like people with punch perms”

On November 27, 2023, A’s decomposed body was found in a forest in Kosuge Village, Yamanashi, near Okutama. The Metropolitan Police arrested Atsumi, a resident of Edogawa Ward, Tokyo and A’s boyfriend, on December 1.

“A had gone missing from June 7, and the investigation began after a missing person report was filed on November 4. From the start, Atsumi, who had been dating A, was a person of interest,” said a social affairs reporter for a national newspaper.

Atsumi dropped out of high school in Tokyo and drifted through jobs while frequently drinking in his hometown. About two years before the incident, he married an older woman he met at an izakaya, but they had been living separately for about a year, and his wife returned to her home in Kyushu.

He met A around March 2023 after approaching her on the street, and they apparently hit it off. By May, Atsumi had told his relatives he was dating her and boasted that A had said she liked people with punch perms.

Although reportedly well-liked at work and at bars, Atsumi had a reputation for being careless with money. A relative revealed:

“I rented a parking space to Ryoma, but he often paid late. He worked in plumbing, essentially as a one-man operation, so his income wasn’t fixed. When he earned some money, he’d laze around, and when it ran out, he’d work again. He once contacted me saying he would pay for the parking, but he never came. After that, we lost contact, so I wondered if something had happened I never imagined he’d get involved in a serious incident.”

Regardless of who it is

Testimonies from acquaintances paint a chilling picture of Atsumi’s past behavior, suggesting he had previously caused serious injuries to family members through violent incidents.

“Once, he got into a fistfight with his wife and caused her to fracture a bone. She’s strong-willed, so she fought back, but of course, anyone hit by a man would get injured. Ryoma has a personality where, once his anger ignites, he lashes out at anyone, no matter who they are,” said an acquaintance of Atsumi.

Atsumi was reportedly infatuated with A, who was more than a decade younger than him. At one point, he even set a photo of the two of them with their cheeks pressed together as his LINE profile image. On the other hand, shortly before the incident, A reportedly told those around her that she wanted to break up because he was too persistent. As their relationship progressed, a significant rift seems to have developed between them.

Former Kanagawa Prefectural Police detective and crime journalist Taihei Ogawa explained:

“I also covered this case. A was reportedly a bright woman well-liked by everyone. If the prosecution’s allegations are true, this was a selfish and deliberate act. Calling a woman, killing her in a car, and then abandoning her body shows premeditation. There’s no indication of remorse for taking a human life.”

According to the prosecution, Atsumi’s smartphone contained a video of A’s body inside the car.