On February 21, the body of Takao Nagai, 39, was discovered inside a van parked in a remote area in the mountains of Kanuma, Tochigi Prefecture.
The 39-year-old was attired in a black and white top and blue work pants. A pistol lay at his side in the vehicle, which was locked. He had been shot in the head. Tochigi Prefectural Police are ruling the case a suicide.
Nagai, a truck driver, had been wanted for questioning in connection with the murder of his former girlfriend, 26-year-old Chihiro Suzuki, who was found shot dead inside her car in Tatebayashi City, Gunma Prefecture two days before.
The discoveries form a grisly conclusion to a stalking case that unfolded last year, says Shukan Asahi (Mar. 7).
According to a friend of both, the pair met while Suzuki, who has a three-year-old child, was employed as a hostess at a club in Ashikaga City, Tochigi.
Standing roughly six-feet tall, Nagai was considered quite handsome, says the aforementioned acquaintance, but he was also highly insecure.
According to the friend, he would turn up at the club as a customer. “He was deeply jealous and controlling,” says the source. “She subsequently found it unpleasant and ended their relationship.”
Suzuki turned down his offers of gifts and threatened legal action. But he persisted, and she eventually had to quit her job at the club.
Nagai was arrested by Tochigi Prefectural Police for assaulting Suzuki on November 1 in a parking lot outside a convenience store in Sano City. (He grabbed her arm as she sat behind the wheel.) He was released from custody after paying a fine and was told by police to steer clear of his ex-girlfriend.
In December, Suzuki changed her email address and, at the advice of the police, moved to Gunma. She requested that access to her personal information be restricted. However, Nagai tracked her down to the parking lot of a supermarket.
When the body of Suzuki was found at around 3:00 p.m., by a staff member of the store, she was leaning against the door of the driver’s seat. According to police, Nagai had shot her two times in the head. The murder weapon has not been located.
“One of his contacts is a member of organized crime,” says the friend of Nagai. “It is very likely that is how he got the gun.”
Source: “Gunma 26sai josei shasatsu ikemen untenshu ni yami shakai no kage,” Shukan Asahi (Mar. 7, page 157)
