AICHI (TR) – Aichi Prefectural Police have arrested a 51-year-old man over the alleged fatal stabbing of the husband of his mistress in Nagoya, reports the Sankei Shimbun (July 3).
At around 1:00 p.m. on July 2, Koji Morinaga, a temporary worker, allegedly used a knife to stab Katsuhiko Muroya, a 62-year-old company employee, in the left side of the chest on a road in Meito Ward.
A passerby telephoned emergency services after finding Muroya collapsed. He was later confirmed dead.
The results of an autopsy revealed the cause of death was loss of blood, with one stab wound reaching the heart, police said on July 4.
Officers apprehended Morinaga about 150 meters from where the incident took place. Upon his arrest on suspicion of murder, the suspect admitted to the allegations. “I stabbed [him] with a knife I carried from my house,” he was quoted by police. However, after he was sent to prosecutors on July 4, he said, “From the beginning, I did not intend to kill.”
Morinaga lives in Meito. On June 28, Muroya’s wife, aged in her 40s, who is engaged in an affair with Morinaga, consulted with police about a relationship problem. On the morning of the incident, she drove to the suspect’s residence.
“No urgent problem”
Police also said Morinaga had called police at around 10:40 a.m. “I want to stab [a person] who is irritating me,” he reportedly said. However, an officer answering the call advised the suspect to “not resort to violence.” That officer also later said that there was “no urgent problem.”
Thereafter, an acquaintance of the suspect further called police to advise them that the three of them were set to meet. Another officer then contacted Muroya’s wife.
Police suspect that Morinaga and Muroya got into an argument just before the stabbing incident took place.
