Inside the Takarajima Couple Murder Trial: Alleged Organizer and Broker’s Role Comes Under Scrutiny
The shockingly sloppy and brutal details of a heinous crime in which seven people, including a popular child actor, were arrested
The plan that even his underling found absurd
On June 24, the lay judge trial of defendants Hikaru Sasaki (30) and Ryoken Hirayama (27), who are charged with abandonment and destruction of a corpse in the murder and abandonment of the bodies of a restaurant-owner couple case, was held at the Tokyo District Court. The case involved the discovery in April 2024 in Nasu Town, Tochigi Prefecture, of the burned bodies of a couple who operated restaurants in Tokyo’s Ueno district.
Seven people, including a former popular child actor, were arrested in this brutal case. What the trial revealed was the shockingly reckless and inhumane nature of the crime.
“Restaurant owners Ryutaro Takarajima (55 at the time) and Sachiko Takarajima (56 at the time) were successful entrepreneurs who operated 14 restaurants in Ueno’s Ameyoko district. The street lined with their affiliated establishments was known as ‘Takarajima Road.’ However, dissatisfied with the couple’s business policies, their eldest daughter, defendant Manami Takarajima (33), and her common-law husband, defendant Masanobu Sekine (34), planned the murder of the couple.
Sekine ordered Sasaki, who had a subordinate-like relationship with him, to find people to carry out the crime. Sasaki then consulted Hirayama, whom he had met at a club in Shibuya. At Hirayama’s request, defendants Akito Wakayama (22) and Koki Jiang (23) carried out the murder and set the bodies on fire. Including defendant Ryo Maeda (38), a real estate company executive and acquaintance of Sekine who provided the location where the murder took place, a total of seven people were arrested. In addition to the brutality of the crime, the case received sensational attention because Wakayama was a former child actor who appeared in a historical drama series.”
(National newspaper crime reporter)
The murder plan devised by Sekine, who is believed to be the main perpetrator, was extremely poorly thought out. The original plan involved attacking the Takarajima couple on a street in Ueno, and during the trial Sasaki said in disbelief, “I thought it was a reckless plan.”
Ultimately, Hirayama suggested, “Couldn’t we prepare an enclosed location?” and Maeda arranged an abandoned house. The plan was changed so that the Takarajima couple would be taken there by car.
The trial also revealed details about the horrific method of murder carried out by Wakayama and Jiang, who were the actual perpetrators.
Sekine designated land in Nasu Town, Tochigi Prefecture, as the location for disposing of the bodies, saying, “It’s our land (owned by the Takarajima family).” He instructed Sasaki to use a stolen vehicle for transportation, but they were unable to obtain one by the day of the murder, so they were forced to use Hirayama’s vehicle instead.
On July 3, the Tokyo District Court sentenced Sasaki and Hirayama to 30 years in prison. The next trials scheduled are those of Wakayama and Jiang, the alleged direct perpetrators.
The July 31 issue of “FRIDAY,” released on July 16, and the paid edition “FRIDAY GOLD” provide detailed coverage of the specifics of the plan and the events leading up to the murder and abandonment of the bodies.
For those who wish to view the full details and multiple photos, click below.
From the July 31, 2026 issue of “FRIDAY”