Japan - Miyazawa family of 4 murdered, Setagaya, Tokyo, 30 Dec 2000

[kittythehare]

DNA Japan some links

Study rewrites understanding of modern Japan's genetic ancestry

An analysis of ancient DNA is transforming the understanding of the genetic ancestry of Japan's modern-day population, identifying a crucial contribution from people who arrived about 1,700 years ago and helped revolutionize Japanese culture.

www.reuters.com

https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/ase/advpub/0/advpub_220905/_pdf

Supreme Court rules DNA test results cannot revoke paternal status of child's father

In a historic case, Japan's Supreme Court has ruled that DNA tests are not sufficient to invalidate familial paternal relations, even if the results from the test show no signs of blood relation to the assumed father. The ruling means that under the Japanese Civil Code, DNA tests cannot change…

japantoday.com

Under Japanese law, there's more to paternity than DNA

A reader asks: Is a DNA test mandatory in order to prove the biological parent-child relationship in paternity cases in Japan?

www.japantimes.co.jp

Best Dna Test for Japanese

Discover your Japanese heritage with precision. Here's the best DNA test to uncover your Japanese ancestry.Meta description: Find your Japanese roots with the best DNA test for accurate ancestry results.

thednatests.com

DNA database of police expanding, as no law limits its collection | The Asahi Shimbun: Breaking News, Japan News and Analysis

 

[FacelessPodcast]

DNA Japan some links

Study rewrites understanding of modern Japan's genetic ancestry

An analysis of ancient DNA is transforming the understanding of the genetic ancestry of Japan's modern-day population, identifying a crucial contribution from people who arrived about 1,700 years ago and helped revolutionize Japanese culture.

www.reuters.com

https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/ase/advpub/0/advpub_220905/_pdf

Supreme Court rules DNA test results cannot revoke paternal status of child's father

In a historic case, Japan's Supreme Court has ruled that DNA tests are not sufficient to invalidate familial paternal relations, even if the results from the test show no signs of blood relation to the assumed father. The ruling means that under the Japanese Civil Code, DNA tests cannot change…

japantoday.com

Under Japanese law, there's more to paternity than DNA

A reader asks: Is a DNA test mandatory in order to prove the biological parent-child relationship in paternity cases in Japan?

www.japantimes.co.jp

Best Dna Test for Japanese

Discover your Japanese heritage with precision. Here's the best DNA test to uncover your Japanese ancestry.Meta description: Find your Japanese roots with the best DNA test for accurate ancestry results.

thednatests.com

DNA database of police expanding, as no law limits its collection | The Asahi Shimbun: Breaking News, Japan News and Analysis

"They include collecting samples of those in custody on suspicion of committing minor offenses as well. Police take DNA samples from suspects under arrest or individuals they question basically after gaining their consent to register the information in the National Police Agency database. As of the end of last year, the DNA types of 1,296,765 suspects were kept in the database, whose operation began in September 2005."

So basically, unless the TMPD arrest the killer or he comes into their orbit somehow, the DNA they have on him is essentially useless unless they make changes with *the way it is investigated*. They are not currently able to, say, build a profile using the killer's DNA on a local genealogy website and hope to connect with his relatives. Or delve into familial DNA in the way of Colleen Fitzpatrick, as one example. Or use a 'snapshot' like Parabon Nanolabs. In short, it's all well and good Japanese police having the DNA of 1 in 100 Japanese but unless the killer falls into the 1, that's as far as their investigation can go. That's why it must change.

 

[MiniMoo]

Friday is correct, there just isn't the same casual DNA investigation/ancestry.com type of culture in Japan as you might find in the USA or Europe. But beyond that, the only place the killer's DNA can be found is with the Tokyo MPD. They refused to speak to me or anybody at Universal in the making of the podcast. They did not contact US law enforcement in the towns around Edwards Air Force Base -- this was told to me directly. So, all of that to say, the TMPD simply will not give Eric Schubert (or anyone outside of their own agency) access to the killer's DNA. And yet, the TMPD is limited by a lack of legal framework re: DNA in Japan. I wish it was not this way, I hope I'm wrong about it and they seek outside assistance. I do not have a great deal of faith, though.

RE: the killer being half-European. This is actually highly-unlikely. Mito DNA shows that his mother's bloodline goes back to Europe / the Mediterranean. But that could be 700 years ago. So that's the root of the misunderstanding. There is a *possibility* but I don't think it's probable. Even the police knew that him being 'half-European' was unlikely and they asked Wikipedia to take that detail down. Wikipedia demanded a court order. The TMPD says nothing about it on their case file on their website as you can see. So a lot of people reading about this case have latched on to the idea that the killer was mixed-race. It's just as likely (if not more) that the killer looks fully Japanese. Some possibility that he's from Korean parents, or similar, but then there are many people with this genetic make up that are born in Japan.

RE: the killer being organised or disorganised, I would tend to agree with you. Although the experts I spoke to in the making of the podcast rejected the idea of putting killers into these two separate buckets. Either way, I think it's quite possible he HAD a plan but then things went wrong quite quickly. Or put another way, he had an idea or perhaps dream of the crime. And the reality didn't match up to it and he had to improvise. Definitely agree this was his first series of murders and if he killed anyone else he definitely didn't do it in Japan (highly unlikely anyway).

I don't think the murders were random, though. I think he picked them. That's just a feeling I've got. Whether or not he actually *knew* them is a different matter. Maybe it's not even personal, it's just what they *represented* to him. But if you were to randomly pick a house to break into, why pick a family home with the lights on, which is not easy to get into. I think the family car was parked outside, too. The killer would have had to have been pretty dumb to expect a lone female to be in the house or some such.

RE: what the police focused on, it's an interesting thought. I have no idea if they looked at the crowd or the on-lookers. I do know they were aggressively fingerprinting (as we cover in the podcast, they didn't exactly ask for consent in this process) so it wouldn't surprise me if they paid attention to neighbours / people watching. My feeling is that the killer got away and never came back. Then again, risk-taking seems to form part of his MO, so who knows.

RE: the killer's age. The TMPD are adamant the killer was young on the night of his murders based on his proportions and clothes, seemingly. Also, the fact that the killer had highlighter pens in his hip bag at one point. I actually think this is BS but maybe they have knowledge I don't. My own father owns a Uniqlo jacket and has highlighters in his bag and he's in his 60s. I don't see how they can be sure?

RE: the killer's employment or lack their of. The TMPD thought he was a student. The killings happened during the holiday. It was a Saturday too, I think. Some of his clothes were brand new and expensive for 23 years ago. That suggests he had access to money in some way or another...

I think I wrote random in the wrong context.

There was this family of four killed in the USA that met their killers after one of those men spotted the mother and youngest girl shopping - he (and his accomplice) followed them home and staked them out. They invaded the family home that same night when it was thought everyone was sleeping.

That kind of random is what I meant.

One thing I have learned when it comes to crime is to never fixate on things like one person, one idea or one theory.

Although I agree the person is young (under 38-40) I don't think it should be limited to the idea of it being a student.

Think I missed one of your posts so am going back to read it.

I was quite fortunate to talk with two criminal attorneys there that worked on the Lucie Blackman case and trial - during it. Both were each other's oppositions yet really good friends.They could edge around certain points with me, but couldn't disclose certain information because of privacy laws.

It was one of the best discussions I ever had though!

That was when I learned about Article 39 and still remember it to this day.

 

[Melquiades]

"They include collecting samples of those in custody on suspicion of committing minor offenses as well. Police take DNA samples from suspects under arrest or individuals they question basically after gaining their consent to register the information in the National Police Agency database. As of the end of last year, the DNA types of 1,296,765 suspects were kept in the database, whose operation began in September 2005."

So basically, unless the TMPD arrest the killer or he comes into their orbit somehow, the DNA they have on him is essentially useless unless they make changes with *the way it is investigated*. They are not currently able to, say, build a profile using the killer's DNA on a local genealogy website and hope to connect with his relatives. Or delve into familial DNA in the way of Colleen Fitzpatrick, as one example. Or use a 'snapshot' like Parabon Nanolabs. In short, it's all well and good Japanese police having the DNA of 1 in 100 Japanese but unless the killer falls into the 1, that's as far as their investigation can go. That's why it must change.

Man, if I was a cop in Japan working an investigation like this on a multiple-child killer, I'd find it bloody hard not to find a way to secretly get the familial DNA work done, get a suspect name, and then fabricate an anonymous tip to give yourself a reason to go after that guy and get 'legitimate' DNA from him to close the case.

This is also probably why it's good that I'm not a cop.

 

[fridaybaker]

FacelessPodcast, do you have any inclination that there were problems between mother and sister or her family? I tread lightly here, but have always noted the recent change in living situation in the months leading up to this murder.

Also, is there anything about this case that you, or perhaps TMPD, would indicate a murder for hire?

 

[FacelessPodcast]

FacelessPodcast, do you have any inclination that there were problems between mother and sister or her family? I tread lightly here, but have always noted the recent change in living situation in the months leading up to this murder.

Also, is there anything about this case that you, or perhaps TMPD, would indicate a murder for hire?

Well there's a lot I can't say on this topic as the Chief told me a lot off the record. But put it this way. Mikio paid for soundproofing to be installed on his wall and the house next door. Ann herself has spoken about her regret in not fighting this move as "close families don't need soundproofing". I'm paraphrasing here but you can find her interviews out there. Another detail is that Setsuko, who is in her mid-90s now, struggles with seeing images of the house, let alone video. She does not want to go back there. That's why, when Ann opened up the house to the assembled Japanese media at the start of 2020, Setsuko begged her not to. She did it anyway.

On the one hand, what families don't have problems on some level? On the other, there are a lot of questions still to answer from Ann's side -- she rejected repeated attempts from me/Universal to talk with her, which is absolutely her right, but I made it clear that I had no interest in sensationalising anything, I would treat the victims/her with the utmost respect and that she could even sign off on the audio/script we used with her. She refused every time going so far as to be almost rude by the end. How can not Ann / her husband / her 13-year-old son / her mother (maternal grandmother of Nina and Rei) have heard nothing. You've seen how close the houses are. The walls are thin and old and my sound guys confirmed there is no way the soundproofing would've completely blocked out someone coughing, let alone screams or a struggle. All of that to say, we have to infer our own conclusions.

As for a murder for hire, there are theories out there that centre on this. Primarily from the BS Artist Mr. Ichihashi:

New book claims to shed light on Setagaya family murders in 2000

I admit to a profound lack of respect for this man (we don't even know if it's one writer or several, he uses a fake name despite being an investigative journalist). But that's essentially what his book focuses on. Some kind of land grab from the Moonies, a Yakuza guy who calls in a favour from a Korean military person who now works as some kind of international hit man. Ichihashi says in his book that not only does he track down the killer who he refers to as K or R, I forget, but he even lifts the man's fingerprints. Begging the question why the TMPD has done nothing about this (answer: because it's garbage). Even the Chief, now a man in his 70s who is the very definition of composure and respect for others, struggled to hide his disdain for this 'investigative journalist'. Anyway, I digress. That theory is out there but we'd have to consider the facts:
*what kind of hitman brings a sushi knife to murder four people?
*why leave behind all that evidence?
*why stay for so long at the crime scene?
*why the variation in killing methods/overkill on the victims?
*why eat their food, use their toilet without flushing?
*if the hitman's objective was to remove the family altogether in order for his employer to get the house, why did that person expect that 1) a family massacre would led to that outcome or 2) the City of Tokyo would somehow sell the land to them individually when they had bought out every house in the area for re-development?

 

[FacelessPodcast]

oops double-post

 

[FacelessPodcast]

Does anyone know anything about cars? / Remember reading anywhere which model Mikio owned? I have a memory it was European -- either Italian or German. (My guess is Volkswagen or Alfa Romeo). This in itself is interesting because it seems to go against how thrifty / sensible Mikio was. A guy who kept records and finances since childhood...

 

[vls12345]

Does anyone know anything about cars? / Remember reading anywhere which model Mikio owned? I have a memory it was European -- either Italian or German. (My guess is Volkswagen or Alfa Romeo). This in itself is interesting because it seems to go against how thrifty / sensible Mikio was. A guy who kept records and finances since childhood...
View attachment 437149

Seeing the photo of the car like that, did the police check the roof of the car for any kind of prints (in case it was used by the perp to climb up and gain entry to the house that way)?

 

[FacelessPodcast]

Seeing the photo of the car like that, did the police check the roof of the car for any kind of prints (in case it was used by the perp to climb up and gain entry to the house that way)?

Update: the car is a Citroen Xantia.

As for checking the car itself, it does look as if they've taped off the wing mirrors? Presumably to check for prints and preserve it against the elements? So I can only imagine they looked on the top of the car for scuff marks or shoe prints. The more I read about this case, the more likely it seems he gained access by climbing on top of it and entering the balcony that leads into Rei's bedroom...

 

[Lexiintoronto]

Update: the car is a Citroen Xantia.

As for checking the car itself, it does look as if they've taped off the wing mirrors? Presumably to check for prints and preserve it against the elements? So I can only imagine they looked on the top of the car for scuff marks or shoe prints. The more I read about this case, the more likely it seems he gained access by climbing on top of it and entering the balcony that leads into Rei's bedroom...

What do you make of the screen for the bathroom window behind found outside? I was also wondering about how the screen locked in place and which side of the glass it was on. My screens are on the inside of the home, but my parents had an older home that had some screens on the outside of the glass.

Off-topic, but I always have difficulty with how large the home looks from the outside versus inside!

 

[FacelessPodcast]

If he gained access at the front of the house by climbing up on the car, it's possible he didn't want to risk being seen leaving the same way. Maybe he toyed with the idea of leaving by the back window until he realised it was too small. OR he tried to initially gain access through the bathroom window but gave up and ended up entering via Rei's bedroom. He left zero fibres or prints in the window frame itself so that would suggest he never made it through (ignoring the tight fit).

 

[FacelessPodcast]

Eagle-eyed Sleuths: all those who are seeing a scar here, please raise your hand.

Could just be me but I've got a scar from a slicing wound in my youth and it looks smooth and pale in a similar fashion...

<modsnip: Images removed>

 

[Lexiintoronto]

Eagle-eyed Sleuths: all those who are seeing a scar here, please raise your hand.

Could just be me but I've got a scar from a slicing wound in my youth and it looks smooth and pale in a similar fashion...

<modsnip: Images removed>

Whose hand is that? It does look like a healed cut or a burn scar.

 

[FacelessPodcast]

Whose hand is that? It does look like a healed cut or a burn scar.

It's the (potential) person of interest I've been looking into. There's quite a few similarities already but if he's got a scarred hand as well...

 

[fridaybaker]

I wish I could be of help but I'm terrible at seeing ANYTHING in photos or video, at least to be able to identify something.

However, I do see a white-ish area that looks a bit linear, and if it were a "slicing wound", it would have been a fairly large one --the width of that white area bespeaks of a wound that should have been stitched but wasn't, in my book. That and its location on the wrist would lean in the direction you're going, I'd think. Again, I'd never look at it and say "oh, that has to be a healed slicing wound". I will say, though, it isn't inconsistent, to my eye.

Can you give any idea as to whether or not this is someone LE has looked at as well. (Maybe you've said and I just don't remember -sorry.)

 

[fridaybaker]

Faceless, you're going to solve this case!

 

[fridaybaker]

It's the (potential) person of interest I've been looking into. There's quite a few similarities already but if he's got a scarred hand as well...

Is the person in question left-handed?

 

[JennyJukes]

Eagle-eyed Sleuths: all those who are seeing a scar here, please raise your hand.

Could just be me but I've got a scar from a slicing wound in my youth and it looks smooth and pale in a similar fashion...

<modsnip: Images removed>

Could also be a burn.. I have a similar mark almost the same place when I was young and dumb and didn't use oven gloves. It could be a scar though - I have a small scar from a sharp wound on my finger that does look similar to my burn mark.

 

[Dhighsmith]

I recall a similar case in Japan wherein the Uncle was responsible. It’s horrible especially with children.