<figure id="attachment_466464" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-466464" style="width: 1500px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="5abbe7c8"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2026/04/b68cbc227a22e7e1873b40d26cc21f29.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-466464" class="wp-caption-text">Suspect Nobuaki Takahashi arrested on suspicion of murder after seven and a half years on the run overseas</figcaption></figure>
<h2><span class="strongInContent"> He was smiling wryly from beginning to end.</span></h2>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> Go home!　Go home!　Go home, you guys. It&#8217;s time to go home.</span></p>
<p> The news footage of a man walking through the Narita Airport terminal surrounded by police officers shouting this sent shockwaves throughout Japan. The man, Nobuaki Takahashi, 47, was arrested on April 25 on suspicion of murder on board a flight from Malaysia, where he had fled.</p>
<p> At 10:00 a.m. on the following day, April 26, Takahashi was placed in a vehicle coming out of the Azabu Police Station of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department to be taken into custody for prosecution. What was funny was that he had a goofy, eerie, thin smile on his face the whole time, and his irreverent attitude was the same as the day before.</p>
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<p><span class="strongInContent"> According to the Metropolitan Police Department, Takahashi is suspected of killing Kumi Barretuta (then 29), who was believed to be his girlfriend at the time, by striking her multiple times on the head with what appeared to be an iron array in a room of an apartment in Roppongi (Minato Ward), Tokyo, where he lived in October &#8217;18. About a week later, her mother contacted the Azabu Police Station to report that she had not been able to contact Barretuta, and when staff checked the suspect&#8217;s home, they found her dead, wrapped in a sheet,&#8221; said a reporter from the social media department of a national newspaper.</span></p>
<p> However, Takahashi left for Malaysia a few days before that.&#8217; A warrant was issued for his arrest on suspicion of murder in 1919, and he was also wanted internationally.</p>
<p> Takahashi is said to be a member of the &#8220;Chinese Dragon,&#8221; a quasi-gangster group consisting mainly of Japanese who have remained in China and are known as &#8220;semi-gres.</p>
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<p><span class="strongInContent"> He is said to be a member of the upper echelon of the huge organization, which is said to have about 900 members. At the time of the incident, he was the manager of several billiard bars in Roppongi and was also involved in cocaine and marijuana trafficking. He was a fighter in the organization and was known to be quick to take action.</span></p>
<p> Takahashi was also arrested for attempted murder in 2002. In May of the same year, he stabbed a Ghanaian man he was drinking with in Roppongi in the back with a blade-like object. At that time, he also fled to Thailand, but was taken into custody by local police in Bangkok in December of the same year on suspicion of illegal residency and deported.</p>
<div data-friday-nextpage-lead=" The family wants extreme punishment. ......"></div>
<h2><span class="strongInContent">The key is whether he really intended to kill her.</span></h2>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> According to investigators, three months before the current incident, Takahashi was arrested on suspicion of inflicting injuries on Barletta. However, the report was later withdrawn and the prosecution was suspended.</span></p>
<p> How could a man with a record of attempted murder and a history of fleeing abroad so easily escape overseas and remain uncaptured for seven and a half years? We interviewed crime journalist Taihei Ogawa.</p>
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<p><span class="strongInContent"> The &#8220;Chinese Dragon&#8221; is a quasi-gang, but we don&#8217;t yet have a complete picture of what they are really like. They are not only in Japan, but also have bases in other Asian countries. So, at his level, it would be easy for the organization to help him escape and support him to stay and live in Malaysia. However, since the suspect Takahashi was on the international wanted list, the Metropolitan Police Department would have cooperated with Malaysian authorities in the investigation from an early stage. Nevertheless, although it seems that he was lucky this time because he was taken into custody on suspicion of possession of illegal drugs, if not for that, I think it is highly likely that he would still be on the run.&#8221;</span></p>
<p> Takahashi was arrested after seven and a half years on the run for murder. There are reports that the bereaved family is seeking the maximum sentence.</p>
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<p><span class="strongInContent"> The family of the deceased is reportedly seeking the maximum penalty. Whether he really intended to kill her or not. If that can be proven, he could receive a life sentence, but he has a history of not saying anything when he was arrested in 2002. I think he probably won&#8217;t say anything this time either. He probably thinks that if he doesn&#8217;t talk, he will be fine. I wonder if the investigation will reveal facts that have not come out so far. I think that will be important.</span></p>
<p> Takahashi is reportedly denying the charges, saying, &#8220;I have nothing to say at this time. The investigation into the case is awaited.</p>
<div data-friday-nextpage-lead=" Image of the heinous criminal&#39;s fearless smile"></div>
<figure id="attachment_466466" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-466466" style="width: 703px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="3a8bb470"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2026/04/2481ca9b1c83c2e2520078dff04f1f09.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-466466" class="wp-caption-text">Suspect Nobuaki Takahashi, who was wanted for attempted murder in &#8217;14 and had fled abroad.</figcaption></figure>
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<figure id="attachment_466467" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-466467" style="width: 703px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="32adaa90"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2026/04/47cd525fe5c492fdae0df2acd4c7fdb7.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-466467" class="wp-caption-text"> A member of the quasi-gang &#8220;Chinese Dragon,&#8221; he was feared for his ferocious personality.</figcaption></figure>
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<figure id="attachment_466468" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-466468" style="width: 1500px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="9c99e55a"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2026/04/0827bed6a4f5d0f0af64bc7d16318b9f.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-466468" class="wp-caption-text"> Nobuaki Takahashi, who is feared for his ferocious character, was seen with a wry smile on his face throughout the transfer.</figcaption></figure>


 Shinji Hasuo

 A suspect in a murder case that occurred in '18 was arrested after seven and a half years after being transferred from overseas, where he had fled. The news footage was shocking, but the next day, when the suspect was transported, he was still smiling wryly. What was the reason for his easygoing demeanor?

Smiling and goofing off the day after his arrest… Murder suspect who fled abroad arrested over 7 years Why a man is showing his leeway

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