Couple Arrested in Japan's Tochigi Robbery-Murder, Allegedly Directed Teens While Holding a Baby

(Central News Agency, reporter Tai Ya-chen, Tokyo, 18th) In a shocking robbery-murder case in Tochigi Prefecture, Japan, police yesterday arrested 28-year-old Kaito Takemae and his 25-year-old wife, Miyu, believing they instructed four teenagers to commit the crime. A total of six people have been arrested in the case so far. Police suspect the case involves the rampant "anonymous fluid criminal groups" (known as 'Tokuryu') in Japan in recent years and are continuing to track down higher-level masterminds. According to reports from Shueisha and Asahi Shimbun, police stated that the Takemae couple is suspected of conspiring with four 16-year-old boys on the morning of the 14th, instructing them to break into a residence in Kaminokawa Town to steal valuables, and attacking the family inside with knives and crowbars. The homeowner, Eiko Toyama, was stabbed more than 20 times in the chest and other areas and was pronounced dead after being sent to the hospital. Her two sons were also beaten and injured, and the crime was extremely brutal. The Toyama family was well-known locally for their success in running a burdock farm, and their residence was even nicknamed the "Burdock Mansion," which is suspected to be why they were targeted by the criminals. About 30 minutes after the incident, police who rushed to the scene after receiving a report found a 16-year-old boy nearby. After questioning, they arrested him on suspicion of robbery and murder, and used this as a breakthrough to subsequently arrest the other three boys. Police investigation revealed that the four boys are suspected of being the "executors" who actually broke into the residence, and some of them confessed to committing the crime under the instructions of the Takemae couple. Police believe that although the couple was in Tochigi Prefecture at the time of the crime, they were not at the scene but were giving instructions remotely from another location. The police determined that the two had driven to Tochigi Prefecture and launched a "relay-style pursuit" across multiple areas. The National Police Agency coordinated the effort, with the Kanagawa Prefectural Police, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, and the Saitama Prefectural Police jointly involved in the investigation, tracking the couple's whereabouts. According to information, a white luxury imported car used by the "robbery-murder youth gang" during the crime was later abandoned in Sagamihara City. After seizing the car, police discovered from the dashcam and surveillance footage that the vehicle had appeared near the Takemae couple's residence in Yokohama multiple times, becoming a crucial clue linking the "executors" and the "instructors." Police said that the suspect, Kaito Takemae, was apprehended by the police early on the 17th as he attempted to flee the country from Haneda Airport. At that time, he had already completed departure procedures and was just about to board the plane. His wife was found and subsequently arrested by the police in a business hotel in Yokohama. At the time, she was with her 7-month-old daughter. As the couple were both arrested, the infant is now considered a "child in need of protection" with no one to care for her and has been placed in the care of a "Child Consultation Center." According to neighbors, the Takemae family had just moved into an apartment in Yokohama in April. The husband had a tattoo on his neck, often shouted, and was cold and unresponsive to greetings. The wife was always holding the baby and looked tired every day. Neighbors pointed out that different cars frequently visited the couple's apartment, and they seemed to often have drinking parties late at night, laughing and talking loudly. "They would talk loudly with the windows open or be on the phone at midnight, causing a lot of disturbance." Another resident revealed that on the night of April 22, the police were called to the Takemae's residence. Three patrol cars and a police motorcycle from the local station arrived, and several officers questioned the couple in front of the apartment. A strange man also apologized to the neighbors, saying, "Sorry for the trouble." Police currently believe that the Takemae couple are not the highest-ranking figures in the entire case and that there may be other core members who planned the crime. They are continuing to investigate whether there are other upper-level organization members responsible for receiving stolen goods or coordinating the crime. (Editor: Wei Shu) 1150518