Japan - Miyazawa family of 4 murdered, Setagaya, Tokyo, 30 Dec 2000 #2

[Incoherent]

I'm going to assume the keyboard had both 'alphabets' on them, the way I've typically seen in Japan. But yes, I meant the desktop itself was likely in Japanese. I have no idea, I'm just guessing.

Yes it would’ve had Roman letters on the keyboard as well as Japanese, even back then. Email addresses, web addresses, passwords, etc, all need to be written in Roman letters. Keyboards in Japan are QWERTY with the hiragana added onto the keys to switch between. Even if the killer could read zero Japanese he could still easily navigate to a website if he wanted to.

You only need to be slightly computer literate to still be able to use one even in another language. The icons are still the same, the layout is the same, the web addresses are written in Roman letters etc.
As for the new folder I feel it was probably just a misclick - easily done and nothing of significance.

 

[Interested_But_Confused]

I think it was a Mac, yes. Also, I have no idea as I was young in 2000, but were password-protected e-mails common at the time?

RSBM

For a business user such as Mikio, absolutely. Passwords were common.

Has it ever been said what kind of e-mail account Mikio had? If his e-mail software was built in to the operating system, such as Apple Mail for Mac or Outlook for Windows, whether or not it was password-protected would be entirely Mikio's choice. But if he was using early webmail, or was able to log into his workplace intranet from home, it would absolutely have a password.

Given the nature of Mikio's job, it's possible very little on the computer was accessible without a password.

 

[Sor Juana]

As I search for high-resolution photos of the Miyazawa family interior before and after the tragedy, I've noticed a curious absence of images depicting Mikio's office. Specifically, I'm keen to see Mikio's computer, his keyboard. I believe he did not have a mouse but that needs to be verified. During the late 1990s to early 2000s, the prevailing trend in Japan was the PC-9800 series manufactured by NEC. Renowned for its graphics capabilities, the PC-98 was comparable to Apple computers (iMac did have a mouse back in 2000) and adept at handling thousands of kanji characters. Although it operated on a proprietary operating system, it could also run MS-DOS and Windows if imported. Given its dominance in the Japanese market at the time, it's reasonable to assume that Mikio likely used an NEC PC-9800. I've seen folders unintentionally created as 'New folder' by accidentally clicking the mouse a couple of times. But if you had to use the keyboard to make a folder, it would need more effort. That's why it's important to see Mikio's computer setup. If he didn't have a mouse, then the killer must have intentionally made the folder. It likely would have been named in Japanese or with default characters.

The question that puzzles me is what the killer intended to do with that folder. Typically, a separate folder is created to gather stuff in one place for easy copying to another drive, possibly a floppy disk or a cd, all at once. At that time, residential internet connections were primarily DSL dial-up, ranging from 64 to 272 kbps, with 64 kbps being the most common. Even speeds of 128 kbps were considered quite expensive.

 

[Sor Juana]

NEC PC-9801

 

[Sor Juana]

I'm not sure he called it anything. Or even if he intended to do that. Even accounting for boot-up time (assuming the computer was off, I think it was ON given Mikio's actions just prior to the murders), five minutes seems like a long time to just create one folder and do nothing else.

I believe that 5 minutes would be sufficient to browse through drives and folders to check their content. The killer could have also attempted to access an email, but it would have been password protected. He had enough time to determine if there was anything of interest in the folders. It appears that there wasn't, as otherwise, he would have spent more time copying documents into the folder he created and then transferring them to the disk, a process that could have taken longer than 5 minutes. Unless, of course, he found what he was looking for right away and copied it immediately. Although, in 2000, it was possible for old comps to generate logs about file copying onto a disk, but it wasn't a standard feature on most systems. I'm sure the TMPD thoroughly checked Mikio's computer for any useful information. If they found anything important, they would have mentioned it. But it's also possible the killer was interested in Yatsuko's documents, especially if she used the same computer. Since she was the one attacked most severely, he might have looked for her teaching files or exam papers. JMO.

 

[Charlot123]

Yes it would’ve had Roman letters on the keyboard as well as Japanese, even back then. Email addresses, web addresses, passwords, etc, all need to be written in Roman letters. Keyboards in Japan are QWERTY with the hiragana added onto the keys to switch between. Even if the killer could read zero Japanese he could still easily navigate to a website if he wanted to.

You only need to be slightly computer literate to still be able to use one even in another language. The icons are still the same, the layout is the same, the web addresses are written in Roman letters etc.
As for the new folder I feel it was probably just a misclick - easily done and nothing of significance.

Oh, but the folder to me indicates that he probably used English PC at home...

The keyboard is just for the input. I don't need a Russian keyboard, switching over between input languages should be enough, I can do the rest blindly if i am typing a letter. And yes, the web addresses are mostly in English. But the desktop layout, even now, is different between PC and Mac. For years I used PCs and Windows, then after Windows 7 became obsolete, I was irritated with the newer versions and switched over to Mac (a very expensive typewriter IMHO but that's what I need). And, even now, i don't like reversing to PCs.

However, typing is just one function. Everything else, however, including making a folder, is in English on my computer, all commands. I don't like three-keys commands, so to make a folder on a desktop screen, i'd go to a dropdown menu, find a "make a new folder", and click on it.

I have seen the desk screen of a Russian computer. Made for internal Russian market. All such commands were in Russian, Russian translations of English terms were imprecise, even "input" looked weird to me. It is probably the reflection of the history of computers, but the first computers used English, so all translations are imprecise. I suspect the same is true in Japan, and for the same reason.

What I want to say, if the desktop commands in Mikio's Mac were in Japanese, and the user typed on an English PC at home, he'd for sure be confused with the transition. He'd absolutely have to second-guess, even if he were a good speaker of Japanese. It is just that translation of English computer terms into any language lacks something. Now in most countries, in IT, they simply drop the local translations and transliterate from English, but I remember the 90es, and...go translate "mainframe" into Russian, or CPU, for that matter. Now mentally do the same with Japanese. And back.

I have no knowledge, but I'd guess that 1) Mikio used a MAC made for the Japanese market at home; 2) the perp used an English PC at home, and 3) what he studied in Japan was not computer programming. When he tried to use Mikio's computer, he got confused (not with the keyboard, with the computer screen) and made that folder purely accidentally. JMO.

ETA: from my knowledge, in 2000, we used IE browser, AOL service provider, and were expecting Encarta to deliver the first online Encyclopedia. I had Britannica in books, and every two years they were sending me CD ROM disks.

 

[Sor Juana]

Here is an excerpt from @FacelessPodcast post #8 in Thread 1, for your convenience (BBM):

Anyway, we know for sure that the killer accesses the computer at 1:18am. He was on the computer for five minutes. He created a new folder and visited the webpage of a theatre group which was favourited by Mikio. Now some sources say that the killer cut the phone line before he entered (apparently phone lines are readily accessible on most Tokyo homes as their routing is fairly homogenous and so would take less insider knowledge on how to do this than it would, say, in Los Angeles or London). But if he DID cut the phone line then I’m not sure how he could access the family’s internet bookmarked pages bar? This was, after all, the year 2000 and the connection would have been dial-up? It’s possible that he DIDN’T cut the phone line. (But we DO know that the grandmother who lived next door, Haruko, wasn’t able to get through on the phone the next morning).

After this, he went through the family’s belongings including documents on the ground floor storage unit. He pulled out the drawers, leaving one on the face of Mikio (a retired FBI profiler told me he thinks this could have been a display of ‘depersonalisation’ – however, when you look at where the body of Mikio was and where the storage unit was, it’s also possible the killer simply just dragged the drawer out and let it fall where it fell).

<...> I should say here that the computer was a Mackintosh.

I'm cautious about relying on "other sources" right now because bloggers and journalists often use info that's already out there, which could be from anywhere. We're not sure if the phone line was cut or just unplugged inside. Could it have been blocked from outside? If the killer only wanted to browse drives, they might have accidentally clicked a link or a shortcut that didn't give anything but left a log record.

And one question is answered here: it was a Mac, so it likely had a mouse attached to it.

 

[FacelessPodcast]

Here is an excerpt from @FacelessPodcast post #8 in Thread 1, for your convenience (BBM):



I'm cautious about relying on "other sources" right now because bloggers and journalists often use info that's already out there, which could be from anywhere. We're not sure if the phone line was cut or just unplugged inside. Could it have been blocked from outside? If the killer only wanted to browse drives, they might have accidentally clicked a link or a shortcut that didn't give anything but left a log record.

Some of these early posts were made prior to certain conversations with LE and I didn’t know back then what I do now.

*We do NOT know he visited any page or not.
*We know for sure the phone line was NOT cut.
*Haruko not getting through = nobody picking up.
*The drawer wasn’t left on Mikio’s face, more like his body—seems the killer just pulled it from the unit and let it drop at his feet.

 

[Sor Juana]

Here is an excerpt from @FacelessPodcast post #21 in Thread 1, for your convenience (BBM):

HANDKERCHIEFS
The killer brought two black handkerchiefs with him. Take a look at this video.

犯人はハンカチをどのように使用したのか？　警視庁

The police think that he wrapped the knife in such a fashion. Whether or not he did this to hide the blade, or to transport it safely, or simply to create a kind of hilt to protect his hand while attacking the family, we don’t know. The TMPD mention a fish factory in China because workers there use it the handkerchiefs in this way. Perhaps it suggests our killer has some familiarity with the kitchen, fishery, or even butchery. But I’m not sure that’s really a clue per se. One other detail worth mentioning; I’ve seen it said that the killer actually ironed these handkerchiefs which always struck me as particularly anal. Either that, or it fits with the momma’s boy theory. In any case, the handkerchiefs and, as I understand it, all of the clothes and other items were left neatly folded on the couch.

The technique shown in the video is quite intriguing and definitely worth considering in profiling the killer.

 

[Charlot123]

Here is an excerpt from @FacelessPodcast post #8 in Thread 1, for your convenience (BBM):




I'm cautious about relying on "other sources" right now because bloggers and journalists often use info that's already out there, which could be from anywhere. We're not sure if the phone line was cut or just unplugged inside. Could it have been blocked from outside? If the killer only wanted to browse drives, they might have accidentally clicked a link or a shortcut that didn't give anything but left a log record.

And one question is answered here: it was a Mac, so it likely had a mouse attached to it.

It did have a mouse, I remember a photo.

I remember that in Japanese Wikipedia about Setagaya murders, there was a strange mentioning of an intercom or a signalization of the mailbox next to the house. What I understood with all the translation was it was the type of an alarm system that would lit the light if anyone came too close. Why I mention it now? Because for some reason, the encyclopedia deemed it important to mention it.

 

[Incoherent]

It did have a mouse, I remember a photo.

I remember that in Japanese Wikipedia about Setagaya murders, there was a strange mentioning of an intercom or a signalization of the mailbox next to the house. What I understood with all the translation was it was the type of an alarm system that would lit the light if anyone came too close. Why I mention it now? Because for some reason, the encyclopedia deemed it important to mention it.

This is normal in Japan.

Houses and apartments have an intercom doorbell that is away from the front door, usually by the mailbox or outside the front gate in the case of a house or outside the building in the case of apartments, that has a camera on it so the person inside can decide to answer the door or not.
Before the door is opened people should state their business. It isn’t usual to go and knock on a door in Japan and people won’t answer if you do.

The Miyazawa’s may or may not have had the camera too, but the intercom is very normal.

 

[Sor Juana]

It did have a mouse, I remember a photo.

I've seen a few photos, and they all appear different. They might just be staged images chosen to make a point. I'm unsure if any of them are genuine. Take, for instance, these two from Thread #1. The first one appears to be a computer-generated image and the pc looks more like a NEC model, while the second one depicts a computer that doesn't resemble NEC, Mac, or even Hitachi models. It could resemble an Atari PC, but I'm not entirely certain.

 

[FacelessPodcast]

I've seen a few photos, and they all appear different. They might just be staged images chosen to make a point. I'm unsure if any of them are genuine. Take, for instance, these two from Thread #1. The first one appears to be a computer-generated image and the pc looks more like a NEC model, while the second one depicts a computer that doesn't resemble NEC, Mac, or even Hitachi models. It could resemble an Atari PC, but I'm not entirely certain.

The computer definitely had a mouse. This is how Haruko accidentally 'woke' it in the morning when she discovered Mikio's body. As for the model, I have no information. I recall 'Mac' being mentioned somewhere. Whatever would make most sense for a designer / illustrator to have, I guess. Various people in Japan have suggested he was active in online forums so it wouldn't shock me if he was pretty techy.

 

[Interested_But_Confused]

The computer definitely had a mouse. This is how Haruko accidentally 'woke' it in the morning when she discovered Mikio's body. As for the model, I have no information. I recall 'Mac' being mentioned somewhere. Whatever would make most sense for a designer / illustrator to have, I guess. Various people in Japan have suggested he was active in online forums so it wouldn't shock me if he was pretty techy.

Mikio worked for Interbrand, so I would expect the equipment he used at home would be fairly standardised to the company. Even today, in 2024, you can't always guarantee that files created in one OS will open in a different OS. In 2000 it was a total minefield of compatibility issues. No designer would want to spend hours working on a project, and then find out the file they'd saved wouldn't open on a different computer.

My *guess* (and it is only guess, but based on some knowledge of graphic design systems in the late 90's and early 2000's) is that Interbrand would either be using Apple Power Mac, or something like Sun Microsystems or their own proprietary system.

 

[Charlot123]

I need to find access to their Wikipedia; I saw several. I think I saw a photo of the computer and the mouse was hanging up in the air, as if it fell. I think it looked like a Mac to me but not 100% sure.

While we are at it, does anyone remember what Internet provider Mikio used? It might be important just to have an idea of his Internet speed.

 

[Charlot123]

Here is an excerpt from @FacelessPodcast post #21 in Thread 1, for your convenience (BBM):


The technique shown in the video is quite intriguing and definitely worth considering in profiling the killer.

Didn’t they also say that putting the knife in the handkerchief was common for some Indonesian gang members? They left no stone unturned it seems. (Tokyo PD, just send the DNA for tests please! You worked so hard at this case, and the family and mostly, the slain kids deserve justice).

 

[Sor Juana]

Didn’t they also say that putting the knife in the handkerchief was common for some Indonesian gang members? They left no stone unturned it seems. (Tokyo PD, just send the DNA for tests please! You worked so hard at this case, and the family and mostly, the slain kids deserve justice).

I'm not sure about it. I've only read that this technique is used by Chinese and Filipino workers who cut and slice fish. I would add that this technique is particularly good when using knives with long, narrow blades and small, narrow handles, such as a Yanagiba knife. The purpose is to maintain a secure grip on the handle, preventing injury while keeping your hand dry. Yanagiba knives are specifically designed for slicing tuna and other fish for sashimi. From what I have observed, Japanese workers typically don't use handkerchiefs, but they employ their own technique for holding the knife, with the index finger placed on top of the blade. Whether it's a matter of tradition or simply my limited observations, it's hard to say. However, if indeed it is a distinct tradition, one might speculate that the killer had experience working alongside Chinese or Filipino cutters, or perhaps someone within his family did, and borrowed that technique. JMO.

 

[minamoon]

Didn’t they also say that putting the knife in the handkerchief was common for some Indonesian gang members? They left no stone unturned it seems. (Tokyo PD, just send the DNA for tests please! You worked so hard at this case, and the family and mostly, the slain kids deserve justice).

I agree with this quoted post. HOWEVER, one small detail that feels incredibly maroon (red herring?) is the handkercheif-knife nuance. As I mentioned, I grew up on the AFB in the 90's-early 2000's and "knife" etiquette was a thing. I don't think this was exclusive to the AFB - if you are from middle America, your "hankie" ( rag, nap, handkercheif) was your second arm.

 

[FacelessPodcast]

Didn’t they also say that putting the knife in the handkerchief was common for some Indonesian gang members? They left no stone unturned it seems.

They looked into Chinese / Filipino fish gutting factories as it was "said" to be a technique that was in employed in such fora. I haven't heard about the gangs. Also, I don't want to complicate matters even further but I do think it's worth saying this: from my conversations, it's *possible* the killer employed this method of wrapping the knife with the handkerchiefs but it's not actually 100% certain he actually did. I know the TMPD case file states he did, but then again, it also mentions a shoe size that I know for a fact the detectives were split over. Some said 27cm, others 27.5. I think they're going off the slit in one handkerchief. At any rate, taken in isolation, this one detail --whether accurate or not-- I don't think tells us where the killer is from any more than his aftershave does, or the shoes he's wearing.

(Tokyo PD, just send the DNA for tests please! You worked so hard at this case, and the family and mostly, the slain kids deserve justice).

Thank you, Charlot! I'm hoping the TMPD get there in the end as the law changes.

 

[FacelessPodcast]

I agree with this quoted post. HOWEVER, one small detail that feels incredibly maroon (red herring?) is the handkercheif-knife nuance. As I mentioned, I grew up on the AFB in the 90's-early 2000's and "knife" etiquette was a thing. I don't think this was exclusive to the AFB - if you are from middle America, your "hankie" ( rag, nap, handkercheif) was your second arm.

I also don't think this handkerchief technique gives us the killer's origin, added to my point that I'm not 100% the killer actually did this to begin with. Also, he was wearing gloves. Seems strange that he would employe the handkerchief and the gloves and yet still manage to cut himself so deeply. He was wearing gloves when he entered the house and when he began the assault. Wouldn't he think that was enough protection? Assuming, of course, he would know that knife slippage were even possible or likely?

I would also add, millions of Tokyoites will have handkerchiefs on them, they're sold at every konbini in the land, pretty much. Admittedly, use in the humid summers is far more common. But I had handkerchiefs on me while in Japan too and folding them around my blade wouldn't tell you I was half-British, half-Spanish any more than me eating spinach for lunch that day. Of course, I can't (and won't) discount the possibility of some sort of connection to a fish factory, whether Chinese or Filipino or not. But a Chinese or Filipino factory worker would need a way of getting in and out of the country undetected as well as a way of getting on to a US military base. So, until there is something stronger pointing to a factory, let alone one in China or the Philippines, I'm not convinced.