TOKYO (TR) – The Tachikawa branch of the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office on Tuesday indicted a 49-year-old man over the killing of his wife in Kunitachi City six years ago, reports Jiji Press (Mar. 17).
On the night of November 29, 2020, Jun Takahari, a company employee, choked his wife, 41-year-old Asaka, unconscious and shoved her off the balcony of their ninth-floor apartment, prosecutors said.
Prosecutors did not reveal whether Takahari admits to the allegations.
In 2021, he was arrested for murder. However, he was subsequently released pending further investigation.
“I was smoking a cigarette”
During its investigation, Tokyo Metropolitan Police, finding no apparent motive for suicide for Asaka and citing the lack of fingerprints or fiber traces on the balcony railing, suspected Takahari had strangled his wife, rendered her unconscious and thrown her from the perch.
Upon his arrest in 2021 on suspicion of murder, Takahari denied the allegations. During voluntary questioning before his arrest, he stated, “I was smoking a cigarette on the balcony when I found my wife had fallen.” He added, “She probably committed suicide due to postpartum depression.”
He was released the following March without charges being filed.
According to sources, police meticulously examined the autopsy results and the findings of the fall site. They continued their investigation, consulting with multiple experts and conducting reenactment experiments.
Divorce had been discussed
At the time of her death, Asaka was actively involved in raising their young child, even enrolling her in a children’s theater group. Shortly before the incident, she had contacted relatives to inform them she would be participating in a mochi-making event the following month.
When Asaka’s mother spoke to reporters after Takahari’s arrest, she stated that she had contacted her shortly before the incident saying, “Jun says he’s going to do something. I’m scared.” She also insisted that “suicide is impossible.” The couple reportedly argued constantly, and divorce had been discussed.
It is unusual for a man to be indicted for murder five years after his release. The Tachikawa branch stated that this was “the result of a careful investigation, given the seriousness of the case.”
