Man arrested for murder of his probation officer in western Japan

A 35-year-old man was arrested on Saturday for allegedly killing a neighbor who worked as his probation officer in Otsu, western Japan, in May, police said.

Kohei Iitsuka was on parole after being convicted of robbery in 2019. According to Justice Department records, the last time a parolee was killed by someone he was supervising was in 1964.

The 60-year-old victim, Hiroshi Shinjo, had been working as a volunteer probation officer since 2006. He had supported Iitsuka’s rehabilitation and met him for discussions at his home in Otsu.

Iitsuka was arrested on May 28 after he was found with a knife on a street in Otsu late at night, two days after Shinjo’s body was discovered at home. The suspect told investigators he brought the knife for hiking, police said.

On Saturday, he was served with a new arrest warrant for the alleged murder of Shinjo.

Shinjo, a restaurant owner, was stabbed at least 10 times in the upper body, police said. He is believed to have died on the night of May 24.