SAITAMA (TR) – A 51-year-old associate professor in custody over the alleged fatal stabbing of his wife, a Ministry of Justice staff member, in Saitama City earlier this week has told police that he “ambushed her,” reports TBS News (Mar. 18).
At around 6:00 p.m. on Monday, Tadashi Asano, an associate professor in criminal psychology at Bunkyo University, used a knife to repeatedly stab his wife, 53-year-old Noriyo Asano, in the chest on a road in the Takasago area of Urawa Ward.
Asano, a staff member at the Saitama Juvenile Classification Home, was later confirmed dead at a hospital, police said previously.
In the latest development, Asano has declined to reveal a motive for the crime. But he did tell police, “I concealed the knife in a backpack and ambushed her at the bus stop.”
Police previously said that the suspect and his wife were living apart. The crime took place in a government district where various prefectural offices and courts are located.
Police originally accused Asano of attempted murder. However, the charge was changed to murder on Wednesday, the same day he was sent to prosecutors.
Police are continuing the investigation, including analyzing the suspect’s telephone, to learn the circumstances that led to the incident.
On Thursday morning, officers searched the residence of the suspect.
