<figure id="attachment_461426" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-461426" style="width: 611px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="6a8c0f0e"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2026/03/9c43809e528159d833168203dbd4e8d9.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-461426" class="wp-caption-text">Takarada was sent to the police station for prosecution, trying hard to hide his face, a far cry from when he was sent to the police station in February.</figcaption></figure>
<h3><span class="strongInContent"> A man who died of burns all over his body</span></h3>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> An acquaintance of mine suddenly collapsed in front of me.</span></p>
<p> When paramedics responded to the 119 call, they found a man with burns over half of his body lying on the stairs outside an apartment building.</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> On March 6, the Metropolitan Police Department&#8217;s Investigation Division 1 re-arrested Koji Takarada, 56, of Setagaya Ward, Tokyo, a defendant of unknown occupation, on suspicion of robbery and manslaughter.&#8217; Around September 14 to 17, 2013, he is suspected of pouring what looked like boiling water on Kenji Takahashi, 58, an unemployed man in Komae City, Tokyo, multiple times in a room of his apartment, beating him to death, kicking him, and robbing him of 19,000 yen in cash. The defendant denies the charge, saying, &#8220;I only asked him to return the money, it was not robbery.</span></p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> Takarada was also arrested and indicted in February on charges including violation of the Methamphetamine Control Law (use).</span></p>
<div data-friday-ad-slot="AD_inArticle"></div>
<p> On March 8, Takarada was sent to the public prosecutor&#8217;s office, where he was charged with violating the Methamphetamine Control Law. When he emerged from the Setagaya Police Station escort entrance at around 9:00 a.m., he turned his head down, covering his face with both hands, and in any case, tried to avoid having his face photographed.</p>
<p> Takarada and Takahashi met while serving time in prison. What happened between them? A reporter from the Social Affairs Department continued, &#8220;Mr. Takahashi is a very good friend of Takarada&#8217;s.</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> Mr. Takahashi was living with Mr. Takarada at his home. On September 16, Mr. Takahashi withdrew cash from an ATM at a convenience store near the apartment, and Takarada was nearby.</span></p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> So far, he has been accosting Ms. Takahashi and demanding money from her, and it is believed that he took at least 1 million yen from her.</span></p>
<div data-friday-ad-slot="AD_inArticle"></div>
<p> Around noon on September 17, Mr. Takahashi collapsed, and Takarada himself called 119. Mr. Takahashi had burns all over his body and died about two hours later. The cause of death was burns.</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> At first, Takarada denied involvement in the death of Mr. Takahashi, explaining to the police, &#8220;I think [Mr. Takahashi] was beaten by a loan shark. However, the Investigation Department 1 decided to arrest him after finding an image on his smartphone that suggested he had poured boiling water on Mr. Takahashi,&#8221; said a reporter from the company&#8217;s press office.</span></p>
<p> (A reporter from the former company&#8217;s press office). What type of person would choose to pour boiling water on someone as a means of inflicting pain?</p>
<div data-friday-nextpage-lead=" Someone with unusual tastes."></div>
<h3><span class="strongInContent">The scope of the burns is widening by the day&#8230;</span></h3>
<p> Former Kanagawa Prefectural Police detective and crime journalist Taihei Ogawa explains.</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> He probably got pleasure from inflicting &#8216;pain and suffering peculiar to burns,&#8217; which is different from beating or cutting with a knife. He must have had unusual tastes. And to keep pouring boiling water on him until he died, he must have completely lost his limiter. Normally, there would have been a stop sign somewhere, such as &#8220;If you do it any longer, you will die.</span></p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> It is thought that he is imbued with a distorted experience of success, of using overwhelming violence to bring his opponents to their knees and have them do what he wants.&#8221;</span></p>
<div data-friday-ad-slot="AD_inArticle"></div>
<p> Security cameras near Takarada&#8217;s home captured images of the extent of Takahashi&#8217;s burns, which were getting larger by the day. Ogawa points out that the relationship between the two men can be seen here.</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> The police will be notified as soon as he is examined at the hospital because his burns are life-threatening,&#8221; he said. They must have been kept in a state of confinement so that they could not escape or receive medical treatment. I think they kept him under their control with severe violence, and a master-servant relationship was established.&#8221;</span></p>
<div data-friday-ad-slot="AD_inArticle"></div>
<p> Although they met while in prison and had the opportunity to rehabilitate themselves together, Takahashi and Takarada have now become the victim and the perpetrator of a crime.</p>
<p> Takarada still denies the allegations <span class="strongInContent">, saying that he only asked her to return the money he lent her.</span></p>
<p> We await further developments in the investigation.</p>

<div class="expapp-no-provided-scope expapp-no-provided-scope-line-only-start"></div>
<p> FRIDAY Digital welcomes any information or tips you may have. Please send your information to the following information form or to the official X.</p>
<p> Information form: <a href="https://friday.kodansha.co.jp/tips">https://friday.kodansha.co.jp/tips</a><br>
Official X: <a href="https://x.com/FRIDAY_twit" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://x.com/FRIDAY_twit</a></p>
<div class="expapp-no-provided-scope expapp-no-provided-scope-end"></div>

<div data-friday-nextpage-lead=" [Image] Amazing... defendant Takarada running and hiding from the camera."></div>
<figure id="attachment_461427" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-461427" style="width: 887px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="439f6346"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2026/03/5080fc3e7698340d8329af9c70f55479.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-461427" class="wp-caption-text">Hiding behind police officers</figcaption></figure>
<div data-friday-ad-slot="AD_inArticle"></div>
<figure id="attachment_461428" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-461428" style="width: 796px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="b3a8c601"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2026/03/e1785d286d238f25c43067593c732a6b.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-461428" class="wp-caption-text"> Suspected of repeatedly pouring boiling water on an acquaintance and punching and kicking him to death.</figcaption></figure>
<div data-friday-ad-slot="AD_inArticle"></div>
<figure id="attachment_461430" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-461430" style="width: 703px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="1e02ec93"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2026/03/4ad381766888c64f8517691971c81158.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-461430" class="wp-caption-text"> He stated that he loaned the victim 500 million yen, but this has not been corroborated.</figcaption></figure>


 Nakahira Ryo

 Shinji Hasuo

 On March 6, a man was arrested on suspicion of robbery and manslaughter after he poured boiling water on an acquaintance, robbed him of his money, and left him to die. A crime journalist says that the man may have had an "abnormal relationship" with the victim, who lived with him.

A man who kept pouring boiling water on a man he knew who &#8220;lent him 500 million yen&#8221; until he died&#8230; &#8220;Distorted relationship&#8221; with the victim.

A man who kept pouring boiling water on a man he knew who “lent him 500 million yen” until he died… “Distorted relationship” with the victim.

Access Ranking