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Suspect in death of Hachioji host: ‘He was shot and killed in the club’

Masamichi Tsuchida
Masamichi Tsuchida
TOKYO (TR) – Tokyo Metropolitan Police on Wednesday re-arrested three suspects in the death of nightclub host Masamichi Tsuchida on murder charges, reports the Sankei Shimbun (Oct. 9).

Takuya Abe, the 27-year-old former employee of the club that employed the victim in Hachioji City, confessed to the killing. “He was shot and killed inside the club,” Abe reportedly said in admitting to the allegations. Two other suspects, who were also re-arrested, have denied the charges.

In September, officers took Abe, another colleague, Eiichiro Genchi, 31, and three other suspects into custody for allegedly utilizing a pipe cleaning agent to dissolve the victim’s body. They were charged with the destruction and abandonment of a corpse.

Tsuchida, then 43 years old, was last seen at his home on November 25, 2010. He told his wife he was going to work and would return over the weekend. His last correspondence was by phone, in which he said he had a meeting that afternoon.

According to police, Tsuchida’s wife, who was among those arrested in September, had purchased large amounts of sodium hydroxide, which is used as an industrial detergent, soon after his disappearance.

In July of last year, Genchi, who formerly managed the club with Tsuchida, and Abe were arrested on destruction of property charges for smashing Tsuchida’s mobile phone.

The following September, Abe was found guilty and received a prison term of three years, which was suspended for 12 months. During the trial, the defendant denied having any knowledge of the whereabouts of his missing co-worker. Genchi was also found guilty and received a suspended sentence.

In April of this year, a search of a sewage tank at the home of Abe’s 59-year-old father revealed a facial bone and tooth filling of Tsuchida.