“I Couldn’t Accept It”: Forced to Move Out of an Apartment, Man Stabs Landlord… The “Danger Level” of Negotiations Where Even a Murder Has Occurred

“There’s a man bleeding”

On the evening of September 7, an incident occurred at an apartment in Nishi-Tokyo City, Tokyo, in which a man (in his 40s) who had visited the residence to urge the tenant to vacate was stabbed by the resident.

Katsuji Kondo (66), an unemployed resident of the apartment complex, was arrested on the spot by the Tanashi Police Station of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department on suspicion of attempted murder.

“Around 5:30 p.m., a 110 emergency call was received reporting, ‘There’s a man bleeding.’Officers from the Tanashi Police Station who rushed to the scene found the victim lying on the street in front of the apartment building. He had sustained stab wounds in several places, including his face and abdomen. Although he was conscious when transported to the hospital, his injuries were severe and expected to take six months to heal. Suspect Kondo admitted to stabbing the man and was arrested on the spot.” (Reporter, National Newspaper, Crime Desk)

The victim worked for a rent guarantee company. Suspect Kondo had fallen behind on his apartment rent, and the 7th—the day the incident occurred—was the scheduled date for him to vacate the unit.

The man visited Kondo’s room alone to urge him to vacate the premises. However, a dispute broke out between the two, and it is believed that Kondo stabbed the man multiple times with a knife or similar weapon near the entrance to his apartment.

During questioning, Kondo admitted to the charges, stating , “I stabbed the man with a survival knife.” He also reportedly said , “I couldn’t accept being evicted.” The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department is investigating the detailed circumstances of the incident, including what exchanges took place prior to the incident regarding the rent arrears and eviction.

“It appears that Kondo was behind on three months’ rent for the apartment, totaling approximately 160,000 yen. He stated that a few days before the incident, he had negotiated with the victim, asking, ‘Please let me defer the rent payment’ and ‘Please let me pay in installments,’ but his requests were rejected; it is believed that his frustration over the payment issue had been mounting.

“In addition, three knives—including a survival knife and a kitchen knife—were seized from his home, suggesting he may have used multiple blades,” (ibid.)

Suspect Kondo was transferred from the Tanashi Police Station to the prosecutor’s office around 8:40 a.m. on the 9th. With a shaved head and a deep furrow between his eyebrows, his gaze as he stared at the reporters’ cameras conveyed a sense of hostility.

A Job on the Front Lines at the Scene of Incidents

Neighbors had the following to say about suspect Kondo.

“I think Mr. Kondo had been living in his current apartment since before the pandemic. We’d never spoken, and there were never any problems. He’d go for walks in the early morning or evening, always dressed in workout clothes.”

A murder also occurred this past January in connection with an eviction from a rental apartment.

On January 15, at an apartment in Suginami Ward, Tokyo, a male resident (then 40) attacked bailiffs and witnesses who had come to carry out a forced eviction with a kitchen knife, stabbing two of them. One of the victims, a 61-year-old male employee of a rent guarantee company who was serving as a witness, died from his injuries.

In the Suginami incident, a court had issued a ruling the previous year ordering the surrender of the apartment, and about 10 people, including court officers, had visited the scene to carry out the forced eviction. Despite this, the employee of the rent guarantee company lost his life.

In contrast, in this latest incident, it is reported that only one victim—a man—visited suspect Kondo’s apartment to urge him to vacate the premises. So, what exactly does a rent guarantee company do?

“The basic role of a rent guarantee company is to temporarily cover the rent for the landlord when a tenant falls behind on payments, and then seek reimbursement from the tenant.If the matter cannot be resolved by phone or in writing, employees may visit the delinquent tenant’s home to verify the circumstances or discuss payment. Furthermore, if the delinquency persists for a long period, they may coordinate with the landlord or a lawyer to facilitate the tenant’s eviction.

The challenge lies in the fact that, because these issues involve rent payments and housing—which are fundamental to people’s lives—negotiations can sometimes become difficult. Since staff members must confront tenants face-to-face during home visits, there is a risk of being yelled at, threatened, or, in some cases, even subjected to violence. Discussions regarding eviction, in particular, touch on the very foundation of a tenant’s livelihood.“The job of a guarantee company employee involves directly confronting tenants at the scene of disputes over rent arrears,” said a real estate industry source.

In this incident, it remains unclear why suspect Kondo had a knife with him or what kind of exchange took place between him and the male victim. The Metropolitan Police Department is investigating the details of the incident.

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