TOKYO (TR) – Tokyo Metropolitan Police earlier this week arrested a 30-year-old man following the discovery of the corpse of a male acquaintance at a residence in Shinjuku Ward used for adult video (AV) shoots, reports Jiji Press (July 3).
At around 2:30 p.m. on July 1, a representative from the management company of the apartment in Shinjuku Ward called police to report a “strange odor” coming from a unit the fourth floor.
When police officers arrived, they found Soichiro Naruse, 35, of unknown occupation, dead in the bathroom.
The body of Naruse, clothed in underwear, was leaning against the bathtub and covered by a blue tarp. The state of decomposition of the body suggested that it had been about a week since the death. As well, there were multiple wounds to the head, police said.
The following day, police accused Seiichi Kita, who describes himself as a “workmate” of Naruse, on suspicion of abandoning a corpse. He allegedly abandoned the body around June 27. He denies the allegations.
“Like garbage”
The apartment’s security camera system captured Kita and two other men leaving the unit on June 27. The department is searching for the other man and is also investigating the circumstances of Naruse’s death.
A man in his 30s who lives in the same building tells NHK (July 2), “As of last Friday, I didn’t notice the smell, but since Saturday, there was a putrid smell like garbage and it bothered me.”
A female university student in her 20s says, “There was a sign in the apartment building saying that they were investigating the cause of the strange odor and asked anyone who knew to let them know. Yesterday, many police officers came and I found out that someone had died, so I can’t say anything.”
According to police, the unit is used for filming, editing and staging of AV productions. Kita and Naruse worked together on the productions.
The building is located in an area lined with hotels, about 600 metres northeast of Shinjuku-Sanchome Station on the Tokyo Metro Marunouchi Line.
Police believe there may have been other people involved in the crime. The investigation is ongoing.
