TOCHIGI (TR) – Tochigi Prefectural Police have arrested a 49-year-old man who is believed to have not reported the deaths of his parents in order to collect their pensions, reports Kyodo News (June 3).
At around 3:40 a.m. on June 3, Yoshikazu Kojima, of no known occupation, arrived at the Sano Police Station. “Both of my parents died due to illness, and I hid their corpses at our residence,” the suspect said.
Officers arriving at the residence, located in the Takahagicho area, found the body 79-year-old Kazuo in a first-floor bedroom. He is believed to have died last November, according to police.
Skeletal remains believed to be that of his mother were found beneath a futon in the living room, police said. An autopsy scheduled for Monday will be used to assist in confirming the identity of the skeletal remains.
Kojima was subsequently arrested on suspicion of abandoning a corpse.
Police are now investigating whether the suspect unjustly received the pensions of both of his parents while concealing their deaths.