At 1:30 p.m., the body, whose gender has yet to be determined, was found beneath a heating blanket on the first-floor living room of the two-floor Ikuta Liquor Shop, a store and residence in the Higashi Yama area.
By mid afternoon, the street in front of the decrepit wooden structure, located near Nakameguro Station, had been cordoned off by police officers.
“An investigation is now underway to determine whether it is as a result of a crime or simply due to illness,” a police officer told The Tokyo Reporter at around 10:30 p.m. “In all likelihood it is not crime-related and not a major concern.”
A report filed by the Mainichi Shimbum (March 8) indicated that the owner of the shop died 20 years ago. Various family members subsequently lived on the premises. In January, the former owner’s eldest child died, leaving the property to a grandson, who had hired the team for the demolition work.
Police believe that the time of death was more than one year ago.
A crew of roughly six men started the demolition work on Saturday morning by ripping apart shelving within the storefront. Bottles of liquor could be seen still lining the back wall.
