AOMORI (TR) – Aomori Prefectural Police on Wednesday revealed that a 45-year-old man accused in the fatal stabbing of his former wife at a food-processing plant in Misawa City earlier this month had previously slandered her online, reports the Sankei Shimbun (Aug. 22).
On the morning of August 6, Masanori Sasawatari wielded a knife used in food processing to stab 32-year-old Keiko Fukuda, an employee at the plant, more than 10 times.
Officers responding to a distress call found Fukuda collapsed at the plant with stab wounds to her arms and chest. However, she was later confirmed dead upon arrival at a hospital.
The blade of the knife, measuring 20 centimeters in length, punctured the heart of Fukuda, which resulted in her death, police said.
After the incident, Sasawatari slashed himself in the neck and abdomen. He then leaped from the second floor of an adjacent building. Upon his recovery from his injuries, Sasawatari admitted to charges of murder, police said.
Sasawatari is a staff member at an organization in Misawa. At the end of July, Fukuda consulted with the Misawa Police Station after her former husband slandered her on an online bulletin board.
“Guaranteeing the safety of a victim is our priority,” said a representative of the police. “Therefore, the loss of a life is truly regrettable.”
Police are now investigating the circumstances that led to the incident.
