5 days ago
Man accused of fatally stabbing 2 workers at 'girls' bar' in Japan's Hamamatsu
HAMAMATSU, Shizuoka -- A 41-year-old man accused of murdering the manager of a so-called "girls' bar" in this central Japan city was slapped with a fresh arrest warrant July 26 for allegedly also stabbing a female employee at the establishment, causing her to bleed to death.
Shizuoka Prefectural Police's Hamamatsu Chuo Police Station served the new arrest warrant to Ichiro Yamashita, an unemployed resident of the prefectural city of Fukuroi, on charges including murder and a violation of the swords and firearms control law. The prefectural police have not revealed whether he has admitted to the allegations against him.
The fresh warrant alleges that at around 1 a.m. on July 6, Yamashita used a knife with a curved blade to stab employee Rin Ito, 26, in the back and other areas, resulting in her death. He has already been sent to prosecutors on suspicion of murdering the bar's manager, Tomoka Takeuchi, 27.
According to the prefectural police, Yamashita was a regular customer who frequented the girls' bar, where women serve drinks over the counter, to see Ito. It is believed that Yamashita felt disliked by Ito and Takeuchi after learning about their interactions, which fueled his resentment. The bodies of the two women had over a dozen stab wounds, and the police believe there is a possibility the suspect attacked them with strong intent to kill.
An investigative source revealed that Yamashita and Ito were together in locations including Atami, Shizuoka Prefecture, over the few days prior to the incident and that there were signs of trouble. On the day of the incident, Yamashita is thought to have driven Ito to the bar in a rental car before stabbing the two women. The rental car company explained that Yamashita had rented the car for one week from June 28 and extended the rental for another week on July 4.
(Japanese original by Shiho Fujibuchi, Shizuoka Bureau, and Tetsushi Teruyama, Hamamatsu Local Bureau)
