HIROSHIMA (TR) – Hiroshima Prefectural Police have sent a 29-year-old man to prosecutors for allegedly burying his childhood friend alive beneath a truckload of dirt in a desperate bid to silence him over a prior arson-murder, reports Fuji News Network (July 1).
Kanta Kuramoto is accused of killing 29-year-old Masaki Tokuda on a company property in Mihara City in March 2026. According to investigative sources, Kuramoto waited until Tokuda was working inside a pre-dug hole before suddenly dumping two tons of dirt onto him from a dump truck, burying him alive.
Security camera footage near the scene showed the two men arriving at the property together, but only Kuramoto was captured leaving. Despite the mounting evidence, Kuramoto has denied the allegations, telling investigators, “I didn’t do it.”
The gruesome killing appears to be the culmination of a sprawling web of debt, betrayal and violence.
Police believe Kuramoto murdered his childhood friend to silence him regarding a separate incident in February 2026: the arson-murder of 49-year-old Kenichi Kawamoto in Higashihiroshima City. Kawamoto was stabbed in the neck before his home was set ablaze.
The arson victim was Kuramoto’s uncle and the president of a remodeling company where Kuramoto formerly worked. During the investigation into the uncle’s death, Tokuda emerged as a suspect, leading police to believe the two childhood friends were co-conspirators in the hit.
Financial disputes also fueled the deadly fallout. Investigators revealed that Kuramoto owed Tokuda approximately 7 million yen.
Kuramoto was already drowning in debt from a severe gambling addiction that left him with a staggering 80 million yen in losses. He has already been indicted on separate charges for defrauding and embezzling over 10 million yen from his late uncle’s company and its business partners to fund his habit.
Police are continuing to investigate the extensive financial troubles linking the two murders across Mihara and Higashihiroshima.
