Arrested man faces murder charges over burned bodies near Tokyo

A 25-year-old man was served a new arrest warrant on suspicion of murder on Saturday after he was arrested last month in connection with the burned bodies of a couple found on a riverbank north of Tokyo in April, investigative sources said.

Ryoken Hirayama is the first to be charged with murder. Six people were arrested on suspicion of damaging the bodies of Ryutaro Takarajima, 55, and his wife Sachiko, 56.

Police believe Hirayama bought gasoline and duct tape, among other things, after being instructed by Hikaru Sasaki, 28, to handle the couple’s bodies. Hirayama also allegedly lent his vehicle on April 15 to 20-year-olds Kan Gwang Gi and Kirato Wakayama, who were also arrested.

Investigators say Hirayama is suspected of colluding with others to kill the couple in the garage of a vacant house in Tokyo’s Shinagawa Ward sometime between the night of April 15 and the early hours of the following day.

The couple died of suffocation and the woman suffered injuries to her head and face. Police suspect Seiha Sekine, the 32-year-old husband of one of the couple’s daughters, played the main role in the crime.

The house is managed by a real estate company where another suspect, Ryo Maeda, 36, is an executive. Traces of Sachiko Takarajima’s blood were found in the garage and on a hammer in Hirayama’s vehicle.

Hirayama was arrested on April 21 after turning himself in at a Tokyo police station following the discovery of the bodies in Nasu, Tochigi Prefecture on April 16. He told investigators he received a payment of 9 million yen ($58,000).

Since only Sekine and Maeda knew the couple, Tokyo police believe the others were involved in the crime in exchange for money.

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