CHIBA (TR) – Police are investigating the death of a man in his 50s who was found fatally stabbed inside his Noda City apartment earlier this week, reports TV Asahi (July 9).
The incident came to light shortly after 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday when emergency services received a brief call. The caller said, “Ambulance, please,” before abruptly hanging up. When the fire department dialed the number back, a male voice answered and said, “My younger brother has been stabbed. He was stabbed with a bladed weapon.”
Police and rescue workers rushed to the apartment, located about a 10-minute drive from Noda City Station. Inside, they found the victim unconscious and bleeding heavily from a stab wound to the left side of his abdomen. He was transported to a hospital but later succumbed to his injuries.
Investigators are currently questioning the caller, who identified himself as the victim’s older brother. Authorities are treating the case as both a potential homicide and an accident or suicide.
“We would always greet each other”
According to the landlord, the victim had lived in the three-room apartment for about four or five years, paying a modest monthly rent of around 50,000 yen.
Neighbors described the deceased as a pleasant man. “We would always greet each other. I have health issues, and he would always check in and worry about me,” one nearby resident recalled.
However, locals noticed a shift in his lifestyle starting about two years ago. While the victim was previously seen walking with who appeared to be his mother and brother, he had recently become more reclusive.
“Up until two years ago, men — maybe coworkers or brothers — would come and go, but rarely these days,” the neighbor said. “I haven’t seen his mother, and I only catch glimpses of him leaving in his car. I thought perhaps he had fallen ill. As for the older brother, he just seemed to wander around aimlessly on a bicycle.”
Police are continuing their investigation to determine the exact sequence of events that led to the fatal stabbing.
