Japan - Miyazawa family of 4 murdered, Setagaya, Tokyo, 30 Dec 2000 #3

[Interested_But_Confused]

The whole house was desecrated in various ways, and the toilet just seems to be another disgusting part of that. I don't think it will have anything to do with whether the killer could or couldn't work out how to flush it; it doesn't seem like he ever had any intention of flushing it.

So many details like this make it look like the killings were very, very personal. I guess it could be projection of anger at someone else, and the Miyazawas were just the unlucky family he chose to vent that anger onto. But I'm not convinced.

 

[BatataPoha]

Can someone shine light on the fact that whether the cultural training on the AFB included some references to teachings of Buddhism, death or the Jizo statue?

 

[Charlot123]

The whole house was desecrated in various ways, and the toilet just seems to be another disgusting part of that. I don't think it will have anything to do with whether the killer could or couldn't work out how to flush it; it doesn't seem like he ever had any intention of flushing it.

So many details like this make it look like the killings were very, very personal. I guess it could be projection of anger at someone else, and the Miyazawas were just the unlucky family he chose to vent that anger onto. But I'm not convinced.

I always wondered if the killer carried a slow version of MAOA, so-called MAOA-L, which is disproportionately higher distributed in male prisons. MAO is the enzyme responsible for degradation of enzymes modulating the stress, mostly, norepinephrine and epinephrine, but also, serotonin and all such niceties. It comes in different forms, and it is the slow one that is linked to violent behavior. All this is an area of intense study, the interesting part is that it is sex-linked and hence, male aggression is more linked to it as men, essentially, get one copy from the mother. What also is important is that men with slow version may not respond with aggression to minimally provoking behavior, but might explode with subjective perception of being “dissed.” I wonder if something similar happened here, the murders were considered, but the level of violence was provoked by subjective perception of being put down. Some personal knowledge of one of the parents has been discussed many times, and we don’t know which one, has been episodically discussed in many sources. His behavior afterwards does look dissociated to me - if this level of aggression came as unexpected even for the attacker, and what followed was deep dissociation. It is as if the person brought in gloves and thought of not leaving evidence of the point of entry, but ended up leaving blood, and DNA, and footprints and clothes everywhere. And yes, this behavior is related to ADHD, but also, to both “reactive” and “proactive” aggression. The article explains it.

Association of low-activity MAOA allelic variants with violent crime in incarcerated offenders

The main enzyme for serotonin degradation, monoamine oxidase (MAO) A, has recently emerged as a key biological factor in the predisposition to impulsive aggression. Male carriers of low-activity variants of the main functional polymorphism of the MAOA ...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

I honestly won’t believe that it was the only time of violence, but it could be the situation when the killer was shocked by what had happened as well. Seriously, we all have moments when we discover something new about ourselves. It might have been such a revelation for the murderer, and that made him dazed and illogical afterwards. If he, indeed, wore the slippers, it indicates “disciplined and routine-driven” initial behavior which is hard to compare to the end of this story.

So while I don’t want to proactively chase any certain suspect (one case actively discussed here a couple of years ago, with “lists” of suspects and changes in sketches, ended up in the arrest of a person that never made it to any list. I think the task group of TMPD is so huge, and they may be following different leads. If we are discussing pois, I’d start with the minimum - was the poi obliquely discussed here on the base that night? Which of the pois was not? How reliable are the witnesses?

In this case, one initial piece - absence of any noise - is questionable. However, if Rei was strangled first, and Mikio killed “quietly”, and the women hid initially, it could be explainable.

The version when Niina’s facial traumas could be partially explained by gagging her, and maybe, the child, who witnessed her mother die in front of her, didn’t even resist, so could not produce a sound, is not impossible. I wonder if the murderer incapacitated Yasuko by threatening Niina, or such. But still such quietness is at variance with the rest, and was always a point of suspicion.

So my feeling is,

- some knowledge of the family which the perpetrator concealed
- minimal provocation that made the perpetrator disproportionately angry (slow MAO version?)
- initial planning that went askew because of the murderer’s traits
- him being in deep shock afterwards

As to why the investigation ended up in nothing, I think one of the people providing the alibi, or the witnesses, is not quite honest. And maybe, the killer, indeed, left the country the next morning. Before the police started checking everyone.

 

[Charlot123]

Some other considerations:

- Re TMPD initial statement that the killer was a foreigner. If TMPD still stands by their initial statement today, it probably carries lot of weight. JMO.

- However, if TMPD was mistaken in their first intuitive assumption, this well could explain why this case is still unsolved. Think of it: instead of focusing on 98% of Japanese Tokyoites, they followed the leads from the remaining 2%. I am wondering if this is what could have happened.

- Look at “downstream” groups from O-M122. Realistically, no one can define ancestry by Y. So much more can be done today as opposed to 2001. I hope that Japan is doing more tests, but even if big Y will be done and say that his subclade is common for Koreans, or Han Chinese, or Hmong, it still doesn’t define the person’s personal ancestry. Could a European have an O-M122 Y? Surely, if the Mongols once invaded his land or his ethnic tribe was part of the Golden Horde.

Haplogroup O-M122 - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

- about his clothes, I think he tried not to stand out, to look generic. In the end of the 90es, there were catalogues, online sales of clothes were “trendy.” eBay was there. Perhaps Slazenger had own catalogue. It is a British company, so, the shoes could be bought anywhere. JMO.

P.S. this thought has just occurred to me. If the father was in street clothes and one shoe, could it be so that he: 1) either returned home and was taking off shoes? 2) alternatively, was going to leave the house? 3) or, came into the house from a cold garage and was taking off the shoes? The car was not in the garage, which is strange as well. I know we assume that the ladder hit the floor because Mikio was going down, but It is a little bit unusual for someone to be in the bedroom in street clothes and a shoe. I can imagine Mikio sitting at the computer station and running into the killer when he heard the noise in Rei’s room, although street clothes are unusual unless he was planning to get out. But I really can’t imagine him getting from the bedroom in street clothes and a shoe/shoes. I can’t recreate what really happened, nor the sequence, and maybe the loud voices of a man and a woman that were heard by the passers-by were Yasuko and the murderer? The situation is not clear.

 

[Incoherent]

@Charlot123 where was it confirmed he was in street clothes and shoes? I can’t remember that being said but maybe I missed it. One of the biggest no-no’s ever is to wear shoes inside a house in Japan. We don’t even wear shoes in schools, we wear slippers or indoor only shoes called uwabaki.

The image of Mikio dead at the bottom of the stairs shows him in room wear and a slipper on the stairs. Room wear is kinda like a tracksuit but in Japan we wear them in winter at home to keep warm especially if you’ve got a wooden structure house. That’s what it looked like to me.

 

[Charlot123]

@Charlot123 where was it confirmed he was in street clothes and shoes? I can’t remember that being said but maybe I missed it. One of the biggest no-no’s ever is to wear shoes inside a house in Japan. We don’t even wear shoes in schools, we wear slippers or indoor only shoes called uwabaki.

The image of Mikio dead at the bottom of the stairs shows him in room wear and a slipper on the stairs. Room wear is kinda like a tracksuit but in Japan we wear them in winter at home to keep warm especially if you’ve got a wooden structure house. That’s what it looked like to me.

That is a good question. @Sor Juana mentioned it a few pages ago, how Mikio was found in “street clothes”, so maybe we should ask this poster?

But - basically, every language, every culture has posted on the murders. I see two versions:

- Mikio was found in street clothes and one shoe
- Mikio was found in office clothes and one shoe

Given how much can be lost in translation, I would like to know if it was street or office.

The mom and the daughter were in pajamas, I understand, so they were either sleeping or prepared to sleep.

With Rei, it is also unclear. Either he “slept and didn’t wake up”, but sometimes I come across an article saying that according to one theory, the murderer didn’t only eat but took a shower in the house and changed clothes as no blood was found in the place he slept. (Granted, there was paper in the bath, but we don’t know the sequence of events. Maybe he first took a shower and then desecrated the bath?) Anyhow, periodically we are reading that there was a minimal amount of blood on the pillow, and it was not Rei’s.

My plan would be not to center around Yokota base, because this doesn’t make the killer less faceless, sorry. I think that the TMPD knows way more, but I am not at the phase of understanding the events that happened.

What I want to do is to really understand what was happening around the house. Was Mikio in office clothes or street ones? What was the order of the killings?

How was the garage door opening? Manually or electronically? The car was outside - is it typical, or did Mikio put the car outside because he needed the garage for other activity? If the door was remote electric, here is one more point of entry. Perhape Mikio drove the car out because he wanted to leave but noticed some commotion and returned back? Did Mikio just come home, or was planning to leave, or was merely not ready to go to bed so sitting at the computer in “office” clothes?

I understand that we probably may not know much about Mikio’s and Yasuko’s lives because TMPD is protecting their honor and privacy. But: think that they had the whole house to themselves before An Irie returned. But can we, at least, discuss what kind of people they were? Also: the killer is not off-limits. It would seem to me that the killer was way more violent with women. Does it mean he hated them, or, on the contrary, had feelings towards one of them, or merely wanted to abduct the women (happens everywhere, all the time), so he killed the men and threatened the women but had to kill them when they refused to leave?

 

[Sillybilly]

ADMIN NOTE:

Some images have been removed because they have the potential to identify someone who is NOT officially named by LE to be a POI or suspect.

PLEASE report such violations when you see them. Mods can't possibly be in every thread at Websleuths to see what members are posting and we rely on our members to notify us when there is a violation of our TOS.

 

[Incoherent]

But - basically, every language, every culture has posted on the murders. I see two versions:

- Mikio was found in street clothes and one shoe
- Mikio was found in office clothes and one shoe

Given how much can be lost in translation, I would like to know if it was street or office.

みきおさんが部屋で履いていたスリッパは、中二階に続く階段の下から４段目と遺体の上に乗っかって残っていたようなのだ。
The slippers Mikio were wearing in the room were found on the 4th step from the bottom of the stairs and on top of his corpse.
Source

You can see in the photo of how he was found he is barefoot with baggy, cuffed clothing around the legs and either short sleeves or rolled up sleeves, which indicates room wear as that’s exactly what it looks like. Looks like he was settled into his home, wearing slippers, at the computer.

 

[Sor Juana]

The father was found at the bottom of the stairs on the first floor wearing outdoor clothes (with one foot bare), the mother and eldest daughter were found near the landing of the stairs on the second floor, and the eldest son was found in the children's room on the second floor, all wearing tracksuits or other pajamas .

Source: Circumstances when the incident was discovered

 

[Incoherent]

Source: Circumstances when the incident was discovered

View attachment 512221

That’s the problem with translating from these articles, there are dead/broken links and opinion pieces everywhere stated as fact.
Since WS states Wikipedia is a valid source I won’t comment on that, but again the links and sources on that page just bounce between one another with nothing concrete and go nowhere.
The article says Mikio was found in 外出着 which, apart from being an outdated word and its usage is weird, is clothing you can go outdoors in. Not it is.

Here is a clearer sketch provided by NHK on one of their special programs about the case. The image I showed above is from the official TMPD DVD on the case and this image is a direct copy.
Here we can already see that what Mikio was wearing was not office or going out clothing, but something comfortable you would wear in your house. With both of his feet bare:



Additionally, the same program provided clearer sketches of Rei, Yasuko, and Niina in similar comfortable attire:




Note the similarities in the clothing they are were all wearing at the time.
Also note the black jacket/sheet covering Yasuko was due to the ferocity and amount of blood from her injuries.
I think it is pretty clear Mikio was comfortable at the time and not dressed to go out somewhere that wasn’t his house.

 

[Sor Juana]

That’s the problem with translating from these articles, there are dead/broken links and opinion pieces everywhere stated as fact.
Since WS states Wikipedia is a valid source I won’t comment on that, but again the links and sources on that page just bounce between one another with nothing concrete and go nowhere.
The article says Mikio was found in 外出着 which, apart from being an outdated word and its usage is weird, is clothing you can go outdoors in. Not it is.

Unfortunately, Wiki and fragments from MSM are the closest we have to official sources. How accurate they are is uncertain, but Japanese media tends to be fairly reliable, imho. Like any media, they can only report what they receive from press conferences or police communication officers (I don't mean tabloids here). I suppose we won't hear much more about the case until it is closed. Consequently, we lack 100% reliable information, except for a few details that have been shared.

However, these sources are more credible compared to the "opinions" or "hearsay" from bloggers who reinterpret the same pieces of information through their own lenses. I don't believe in the existence of any mysterious insider info, especially not from the TMPD. It's hard to imagine a scenario where TMPD would leak information, whether for personal liking, money, or any other reason. I don't believe they have ever, or would ever, leak any information beyond what has been officially shared. So Wiki and MSM is all we can use, really (approved by WS).

Here is a clearer sketch provided by NHK on one of their special programs about the case. The image I showed above is from the official TMPD DVD on the case and this image is a direct copy.
Here we can already see that what Mikio was wearing was not office or going out clothing, but something comfortable you would wear in your house. With both of his feet bare

Thanks for that. In the sketch, Mikio's clothes look like a lounge suit to me. However, I wonder where the sketch originated. Did the artist base the drawing on photos, or were they present at the scene? It’s also possible that the sketches were created later, when the scene had already been altered.

This raises questions about how accurately the artist depicted the crime scene. The goal of criminal sketches is to convey shapes, locations, distances, and other spatial relationships. Sometimes, the artist’s interpretation can differ from photos, emphasising certain details to highlight aspects of the scene that might not be immediately apparent in photos. It’s known that such sketches are often not perfectly accurate.

 

[Sor Juana]

CRIME SCENE SKETCHING

 

[Sor Juana]

The Japanese term "外出着" (がいしゅつぎ, gaishutsugi) is actually quite modern and translates to "outing clothes" or "clothes for going out" in English. This term typically refers to the attire one wears when leaving the house for activities such as running errands, meeting friends, or other social engagements. It’s a bit more formal than casual home wear but not necessarily as formal as work attire or a suit.

Before 20th century, traditional Japanese clothing, such as kimono, did not distinguish clearly between "outing clothes" and other types of attire. Clothing was generally categorised more by formality and occasion rather than the specific act of going out. In the 20th century, as Western influences grew, the concept of having specific clothes for outings became more common. Terms like "外出着" emerged to describe these types of attire. Today, "外出着" is used to describe clothes that one wears when going out. It contrasts with "部屋着" (heya-gi, or "room wear"), which refers to clothes worn at home.

Ref:
- Buckley, Sandra, ed. Encyclopedia of Contemporary Japanese Culture. Routledge, 2002.
- Thompson, Christopher S., and John W. Traphagan, eds. Wearing Cultural Styles in Japan: Concepts of Tradition and Modernity in Practice. SUNY Press, 2006.
______________

What I think might have happened is that Mikio was wearing a tracksuit, which could be used for both outdoors and indoors, especially when it was cold. In contrast, Yasuko and the children were dressed in more pajama-like attire, suitable only for home.

 

[Sor Juana]

So while I don’t want to proactively chase any certain suspect (one case actively discussed here a couple of years ago, with “lists” of suspects and changes in sketches, ended up in the arrest of a person that never made it to any list. I think the task group of TMPD is so huge, and they may be following different leads. If we are discussing pois, I’d start with the minimum - was the poi obliquely discussed here on the base that night? Which of the pois was not? How reliable are the witnesses?

RSBM.
If the TMPD ever took an interest in investigating Yokota residents, it would likely have been due to a report pointing in that direction. In such a case, they could have checked the logs of exits and entrances at the base, as well as witnesses, fingerprints and whatever else. Given their apparent lack of further interest, it's reasonable to assume they found nothing suspicious. The boy in question likely stayed on the base that night.

From the official information shared so far, there seems to be no connection to Yokota or any other U.S. base. I trust the TMPD's actions in this case because they have the key information and resources to know where and what to investigate.

Regarding witnesses, their reliability varies. Some statements can be cross-referenced and verified, while others cannot. The least helpful witnesses are those who claim they didn't see or hear anything when they might have. However, I believe the TMPD are professionals and make decisions based on solid forensic evidence, which doesn't lie.

As to why the investigation ended up in nothing, I think one of the people providing the alibi, or the witnesses, is not quite honest. And maybe, the killer, indeed, left the country the next morning. Before the police started checking everyone.

I suppose the police would cross-reference the data they collect. It's hard to tell what they know since they don't share much with the general public.

JMO

 

[Incoherent]

Like I said, 外出着 is not used to describe only “street” or “outdoor” clothing, it is clothing that can be worn outside. It is similarly clothing than is worn inside. But it is also a word not really used here anymore.

Mistranslations of the linked Wiki articles make it seem like Mikio was in outdoor clothing to go somewhere with one shoe on, but he was not. That was my point about it. I’m not even sure why that word was used when it’s very clear from the official TMPD DVD image Mikio was not in outdoor clothing. That image is from 2001. Showing him in comfortable lounge clothing and barefoot. And yet, sources are out there from many years later giving a different story that people are running with. It’s just more misinformation on that Wiki article left up with no link to any evidence.
Since the image was from an official TMPD DVD that was distributed nationwide to police officers, besides seeing the actual photographs of a dead Mikio, I'm going to go with this information rather than excerpts that lead to removed articles online.

In Ann Irie’s book she also describes seeing Mikio’s bare feet sticking out from under the drawers and stuff thrown on top of him at the bottom of the stairs too. And she actually did see him before anything on the scene was touched.

To me it is a pretty clear picture of the situation to that night, to others I guess not and there is more speculation surrounding it. On this matter that’s all I really have to say to be honest!

 

[Charlot123]

RSBM.
If the TMPD ever took an interest in investigating Yokota residents, it would likely have been due to a report pointing in that direction. In such a case, they could have checked the logs of exits and entrances at the base, as well as witnesses, fingerprints and whatever else. Given their apparent lack of further interest, it's reasonable to assume they found nothing suspicious. The boy in question likely stayed on the base that night.

From the official information shared so far, there seems to be no connection to Yokota or any other U.S. base. I trust the TMPD's actions in this case because they have the key information and resources to know where and what to investigate.

Regarding witnesses, their reliability varies. Some statements can be cross-referenced and verified, while others cannot. The least helpful witnesses are those who claim they didn't see or hear anything when they might have. However, I believe the TMPD are professionals and make decisions based on solid forensic evidence, which doesn't lie.


I suppose the police would cross-reference the data they collect. It's hard to tell what they know since they don't share much with the general public.

JMO

JMO - since the TMPD view solving the case as the matter of honor for them, I think it is not yet solved, or it could be partially solved. It is very interesting that they wanted to tear the house down, meaning they extracted all they could from the house. It is also interesting that the family of the victims was against the idea.
Jizo figurine adds some mystery to the situation. Would anyone know if, considering that two children were killed in the house, it would be more appropriate to expect two figurines, or one Jizo could protect both children? To add, I just read that Jizo is also the protector of children that were miscarried, and there is a specific water ceremony for it. I don’t know if this fact is relevant in the Setagaya story, or not at all. My intuitive feeling is that either the person who left Jizo was a kind and compassionate stranger, or Rei was an unplanned victim.

 

[Auntie Cipation]

Thanks for that. In the sketch, Mikio's clothes look like a lounge suit to me. However, I wonder where the sketch originated. Did the artist base the drawing on photos, or were they present at the scene? It’s also possible that the sketches were created later, when the scene had already been altered.

This raises questions about how accurately the artist depicted the crime scene. The goal of criminal sketches is to convey shapes, locations, distances, and other spatial relationships. Sometimes, the artist’s interpretation can differ from photos, emphasising certain details to highlight aspects of the scene that might not be immediately apparent in photos. It’s known that such sketches are often not perfectly accurate.

RSBM

I know neither the technology nor the terminology, but I don't believe those are just sketches. I believe the actual photo was involved somehow -- either as an underlayment over which some emphasis lines were traced, or as a photo only but digitally adjusted to fade out clarity and details to make it less upsetting and less an invasion of privacy.

Again, I don't know the correct terminology but I do not think these are freehand drawings.

MOO

 

[Sor Juana]

Since the image was from an official TMPD DVD that was distributed nationwide to police officers, besides seeing the actual photographs of a dead Mikio, I'm going to go with this information rather than excerpts that lead to removed articles online.

RSBM. Are the actual photos publicly available for everyone to view?

 

[Sor Juana]

JMO - since the TMPD view solving the case as the matter of honor for them, I think it is not yet solved, or it could be partially solved. It is very interesting that they wanted to tear the house down, meaning they extracted all they could from the house. It is also interesting that the family of the victims was against the idea.
Jizo figurine adds some mystery to the situation. Would anyone know if, considering that two children were killed in the house, it would be more appropriate to expect two figurines, or one Jizo could protect both children? To add, I just read that Jizo is also the protector of children that were miscarried, and there is a specific water ceremony for it. I don’t know if this fact is relevant in the Setagaya story, or not at all. My intuitive feeling is that either the person who left Jizo was a kind and compassionate stranger, or Rei was an unplanned victim.

The Jizo figurine seems like another dead end. The number "6" carved into it certainly suggests it might be connected to the tragedy, but we can't be sure. With 31 million people living in Tokyo at the time, pinpointing the reason behind its placement is quite challenging.

One thing does seem clear: it was likely a kind-hearted person who left the figurine there. If so, why haven't they come forward to speak with the police and help clear the mystery surrounding the statue?

They might still be alive and able to explain what happened. I hope they would come forward, even anonymously, to shed some light on the situation. For that, the TMPD should provide an email address. Currently, they only have a phone number available for contact.

 

[Charlot123]

The Jizo figurine seems like another dead end. The number "6" carved into it certainly suggests it might be connected to the tragedy, but we can't be sure.

RSBM

I wondered if it would be some alliteration, or wordplay (e.g., like 39 in Japanese is used for "thank you in English). Plus, thought i, there may be second meaning in anime or manga. To add, Roku is a US TV streaming company, which of course started much later, but the name comes from it being the owner's sixth enterprise. Then I thought that much earlier whoever mounted the Jizo statue might have used the same principle (it could be his sixth victim, for example. Or simply, the person mounted it in the memory of the sixth child he knew died before the parents).

Putting "six" into Google translate and listening to the translated word in Japanese, Traditional Chinese and Korean produces three totally different words. Someone could do it and listen to the words, some ideas might come to mind. Was the numeral itself in Arabic? I couldn't see it well on the photo of white stone. And are we sure it is 6 and not 9?

If I were to stick with the first intuitive guess coming into my head: there is one of many companies making Jizo statues, and they just produce them one by one and mark by numbers, to avoid stealing. They sell them in order and someone bought nr. 6. There probably were the records of the purchase. JMO.