[Playback ’06] “The Murder of a Yamaguchi Women’s National College of Technology Student”: The “Dark Side” a Boy Who Was “Such a Good Kid” Never Revealed
A classmate who came forward the day after the incident
What was *FRIDAY* reporting 10, 20, and 30 years ago? We take a look back at the topics that made headlines at the time [Playback Friday].This time, we’ll look at the September 15, 2006, issue —‘From Yamaguchi: Delving into the “Darkness” of the Female Technical College Student Murder Case! The “Dark Side of Murderous Intent” of the 19-Year-Old Classmate Who Strangled the “Idol Manager”’ —from 10 years ago.
On August 28, 2006, a gruesome murder between classmates occurred at the Tokuyama National College of Technology in Shunan City, Yamaguchi Prefecture. DNA analysis of hair and other evidence found on the victim’s body quickly identified the suspect.The following day, the police requested an arrest warrant for a 19-year-old male student, A, who belonged to the same laboratory as the victim, on suspicion of murder. However, A had disappeared after being last seen on campus on the day of the incident—(The text within 《》 is quoted from a previous article; titles reflect those at the time).
《That day, Ayumi Nakatani (then 20) left her home around 8:00 a.m. as usual, took the train, and headed to Tokuyama National College of Technology.
10:00 a.m.—Ayumi, who had arrived at school with a female friend, stopped by the café lounge inside the school building to chat and laugh with a group of three male students. Afterward, she told her friend, “I’m going to study in the lab (her assistant professor’s office),” and they agreed to meet again around 11:00 a.m. before parting ways.
However, immediately afterward, her short life was cut short inside a confined, box-like room measuring just 16 square meters. By a male classmate—who was supposed to be her “best friend”—who was waiting for her in the room with a thin rope in his hand……》
Although it was still summer vacation, Ayumi had reportedly come to school to work on her graduation thesis and other projects. The key to the lab was normally kept by the assistant professor in charge, but since he was away on a business trip, he had given spare keys to each of the five students assigned to the lab. Ayumi and A were among those students.
Around 3:00 p.m., when Ayumi could not be reached, concerned school officials and friends who had been searching for her discovered her body in the lab—her neck wrapped in multiple loops of string, her body already cold. It later came to light that she had been sexually assaulted.
The “Dark Side” Hidden Within the “Good Girl”
Tokuyama National College of Technology, where the incident took place, was a prestigious school known as a regular participant in NHK’s “Robot Contest” and as the setting for the movie *Robocon* (2003), starring Masami Nagasawa.
Until shortly before the incident, Ayumi had served as the manager of the baseball team, and her selfless care for the players had left a lasting impression on her classmates and underclassmen. At a technical college with few female students, she—described as beautiful, cheerful, and kind-hearted—must have been a true “ray of sunshine.”She had already been accepted to transfer to Kumamoto University the following year, and this tragedy struck just as she was about to take the first steps toward her dream of becoming an architect.
On the other hand, Suspect A—who so abruptly robbed Ayumi of her dreams—was reportedly a teenager with absolutely no history of behavioral problems. *FRIDAY* had been covering those around him at the time.
“Neighbors unanimously describe him as ‘a polite, quiet boy.’
“The whole family is really nice. His mother, in particular, is a very kind person, and A-kun, who was raised in such a household, was a truly good, considerate boy—the kind who would help push a neighbor’s car if it broke down and they were in trouble,” said a nearby resident.
Boy A had a “cute” appearance with big, round eyes, and it seems he was well-liked by those around him for that reason as well. However, the contrast between that reputation and the grim scene of him holding his breath in a cramped, enclosed space while wrapping a rope around his classmate’s neck is simply too stark.”
Why did this incident happen? Just how much obsession lay lurking in the “dark corners” of the boy’s mind?──
Found dead
However, A never revealed the truth.
On September 7, 2006, A’s body was discovered in a wooded area in Kudamatsu City, Yamaguchi Prefecture, not far from the school. Based on the conditions at the scene, it was believed to be a suicide by hanging.
The police concluded that A had acted with intent to kill, based on evidence such as the fact that A had sent an email to Ms. Aru’s cell phone the day before the incident and had brought the plastic rope used as the murder weapon from his home.On October 31, the police referred the case to the prosecutor’s office on charges of rape resulting in death and murder, even though the suspect was deceased. The Yamaguchi District Public Prosecutors Office decided not to indict him on November 27.
This case raised the question of whether to report the real name of A, who was 19 years old and a minor at the time. Although A had been placed on a nationwide wanted list on September 1, 2006, his name and photograph had not been made public; consequently, some experts argued, “Since a murder suspect is on the run, this information should be released.” With the exception of a few magazines, the media had refrained from publishing this information; however, after A’s body was discovered on the 7th, several major newspapers and television networks reported his real name, sparking controversy.
Under the Juvenile Law at the time, reporting the suspect’s real name was prohibited; however, following the 2022 amendment to the Juvenile Law, it became permissible to publish the real names and photographs of specific juveniles aged 18 and 19 who have been indicted.
August 28 of this year marked the 20th anniversary of the incident. However, it seems that feelings that refuse to fade still linger in the hearts of the bereaved family. Kayoko Nakatani, Ayumu’s mother, confided the following to TV Yamaguchi:
“I realize 20 years have passed. I still have no idea why Ayumu had to be killed—I’d like to ask the perpetrator that, but I’ll never know. I’ve been carrying these unanswered questions with me all this time; it’s been exactly 20 years.”
For the bereaved families, there may never be a day when this incident truly ends.