OKAYAMA (TR) – Okayama Prefectural Police have arrested a 41-year-old unemployed man for allegedly murdering his uncle by slashing his neck before attempting to evade capture by hiding in a local river, reports the Asahi Shimbun (Aug. 1).
On July 31 at around 5:10 p.m., Yasumasa Fujii allegedly attacked 62-year-old company employee Ichiro Shimoda inside an office in the Mabicho area of Kurashiki City. Police say Fujii used a bladed weapon to slash his uncle’s neck and other parts of his body in 15 locations.
Shimoda’s 64-year-old wife, who was in an adjacent prefabricated hut at the time of the incident, heard screams and immediately dialed 110. Shimoda was rushed to a hospital but was confirmed dead approximately two hours later.
The cause of death was hemorrhagic shock resulting from blade wounds to the neck and back; wounds on both the left and right sides of the neck were fatal. In addition to the 15 wounds, defensive wounds were also found on his right arm. He is believed to have died immediately after being attacked with the blade.
Following the bloody attack, Fujii fled the scene in a vehicle. About 30 minutes later, police located his abandoned car on a street roughly 6.5 kilometers southeast of the crime scene.
Investigators searching the area soon spotted Fujii submerged in a nearby river with only his head protruding above the water’s surface. Officers persuaded him to come out of the water and secured him on the spot.
Upon his arrest on August 1, Fujii fully admitted to the allegations. “There is no mistake that I did it,” he was quoted as telling police.
Authorities are currently investigating the motive behind the fatal attack, following reports that there had been prior trouble between the two relatives. Both men were residents of the Nakashima area in Kurashiki City.
