KANAGAWA (TR) – During the trial of a man from Saitama Prefecture charged with murdering two women with their consent, Kanagawa Prefectural Police apologized over one of the cases that was initially deemed a “suicide,” reports Nippon News Network (Mar. 23).
On Monday, Kanagawa police announced that they have apologized to the family of a 22-year-old woman from Yokohama City who was allegedly killed by 31-year-old defendant Jun Saito in 2015.
During the trial, a statement from the woman’s father was read aloud: “I saw a suspicious man at home. I thought the man who killed my daughter had come to check on the body. The police determined it was a suicide, so I had no choice but to accept it.”
Kanagawa police handled the initial investigation in 2015. In their announcement, they acknowledged that they had initially concluded it was a suicide.
However, they also explained that “after reviewing the circumstances at the time, it became clear that the investigation was insufficient, and the Kanagawa Prefectural Police take this matter very seriously.” They added that the head of the First Investigation Division apologized to the woman’s family on March 22.
At the Saitama District Court on March 18, Saito admitted to drugging and strangling the first woman, 21, with her consent at his residence in 2018. He also admitted to murdering the Yokohama woman with her consent three years before.
Following information provided by the Saitama Prefectural Police in May of last year suggesting that “it might not have been a suicide,” the First Investigation Division began an investigation, including interviewing those in charge at the time. The investigation has now been completed.
While the investigation revealed shortcomings in the initial investigation, they declined to disclose further details, citing the ongoing trial.
