SAITAMA (TR) – Saitama Prefectural Police last week arrested a 53-year-old man who has admitted to keeping the corpse of his father at their in Koshigaya City to collect his pension, reports NHK (June 20).
On June 4, officers working off a tip entered the residence of Kiyotaka Koike, of no known occupation, and found the body of his father, 86, lying atop a futon in the living room on the first floor.
Police later accused Koike of abandoning a corpse. During questioning, he said that his father died at the end of December. “If I were to report the death I would need money, such as for a funeral,” the suspect said. “I also would not be able to receive his pension.”
The matter emerged after an employee from Koshigaya City contacted police to report that father of the suspect had dropped out of contact for several months. Officers then visited the residence and made the discovery.
In addition to seeking to understand the circumstances that led to the death of the father, police are investigating the suspect on suspicion of fraud.
