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Chiba: Two construction company executives re-arrested for murder

Masakazu Shibata
Masakazu Shibata (Twitter)

CHIBA (TR) – Chiba Prefectural Police have applied fresh charges of murder to two male executives of a construction company who are already in custody for dumping the body of a missing man earlier this month, reports the Sankei Shimbun (Mar. 30).

On Thursday, police accused Takeshi Iijima, the 76-year-old president of Iijima Kogyo, based in Tokyo’s Adachi Ward, and officer Masakazu Shibata, 52, of fatally assaulting Kazuo Kato, the 69-year-old president of an industrial waste processing firm based in Narita City, Chiba.

Police did not reveal whether the suspects admit to the allegations.

Police had previously arrested the suspects and sent them to prosecutors for allegedly dumping the corpse of Kato in a mountainous area of Katori City, Chiba on a property connected to the company on March 3 and 4.

During questioning, the suspects told police that they burned the body before transporting it in a truck to the location where it was found. Police also revealed that a portion of the body was found inside the vehicle.

Kato went missing on March 3. He is believed to have encountered financial difficulties with the suspects related to construction work.

After Kato dropped out of contact, a missing persons report was lodged with police. During the subsequent investigation, the two suspects surfaced as persons of interest, police said.