TOKYO (TR) – On the 22nd anniversary of the murder of a female university student, the family of the victim sought the help of the public in solving the case, reports NHK (Sept. 9).
On the afternoon of September 9, 1996, Junko Kobayashi, a 21-year-old student at Sophia University, was bound with tape and fatally stabbed inside her residence in Katsushika Ward. The residence was then set ablaze.
Police had previously revealed that a DNA analysis of material left behind on a match box and futon concluded that the suspect is a male with blood type A.
On Sunday, members of Kobayashi’s family handed out 1,500 leaflets with information on the case to commuters at two railway stations, including Shibamata Station on the Keisei Kanamachi Line.
“Even now, I do not feel comfortable thinking that the culprit is breathing the same air as us,” said Kenji Kobayashi, the 72-year-old father of the victim. “Please provide any information, no matter how trivial.”
Last week, police issued a 3D video that recreates the area outside the crime scene in a separate attempt to solicit the assistance of the public. In the 90-second clip, a man wearing a yellow raincoat stands in front of the residence as rain pours down around the time of the incident.
The existence of the man at the crime scene is a new development based on an eyewitness report, police said.
Thus far, police have received more than 1,100 tips in the case, but none of them has resulted in an arrest.
A reward of up to 8 million yen is being offered for information that leads to the resolution of the case. Persons with such information are advised to call the Kameari Police Station at 03-3607-9051.
