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Woman murdered in Kabukicho, boyfriend arrested

The Kabukicho red-light district in August
The Kabukicho red-light district in August

TOKYO (TR) – Tokyo Metrpolitan Police on Friday arrested a 41-year-old man in the killing of his girlfriend inside a hotel in Shinjuku Ward’s Kabukicho red-light district, reports the Yomiuri Shimbun (Sep. 11).

At 10:00 a.m., officers entered a room of the hotel and found Ayako Kawano, a 23-year-old resident of Chiba Prefecture, lying face-up on the bed. A futon was covering her body. She was confirmed dead at the scene.

Approximately 20 minutes before, Yasushige Onodera had summoned emergency personnel to the hotel. He was subsequently arrested on assault and murder charges.

Onodera admits to the allegations. “I strangled her to death with my hands,” the suspect is quoted by police.

An autopsy has been ordered to determine the cause of death of the woman. Police are now working to find a motive for the crime.