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

[FlowersInBloom]

Slazengers were ‘real’ sporting shoes in the 80s-90s. I played golf, and they had well known golf balls and clubs. However, I remember them being best known at the time as tennis shoes for pros. I don’t remember anyone of my age, in the US or abroad (among military members), wearing them, although the brand wasn’t unknown. Nike, Adidas, and K-Swiss were the thing in shoes back then (I graduated HS in 1988). In the early 90s, Puma also became a thing; Slazenger, never. It’d be interesting to know who the primary demographic for Slazenger shoe sales was back then.

About Slazenger being mainly used for tennis and that person of interest from Faceless… he said he was a tennis player right? Not a skateboarder or sports person but specifically played tennis for a team that went around Japan? I don’t really know much about shoes sorry but if Slazenger were used mainly for tennis that matches up.
I’d be interested to know the demographic here too!

 

[Incoherent]

Hi everyone sorry to just butt in here…
I’ve just registered after reading all of the three threads about this case. There are so many interesting points being made and I hope someday this poor family will get justice.

May I ask a question to @Incoherent? Your post about the Yokota school yearbooks after reading about FaclessPodcast’s theories really fascinated me, but you didn’t follow up about that... Did you find anything in those or anything else? I hope that is OK to ask and thank you!

Hello and welcome to WS!

To answer your question: yes. Much more than I ever expected.
It is against WS rules to mention a POI not named by LE so I will adhere to that. However every detail released by LE and otherwise actually proven about the killer (nothing speculative) fits one person and after weeks of looking into them (sometimes late into the morning) it is astounding how much he fits in every way. Shocking honestly.
I understand where Nic has been coming from completely. This is of course just my opinion with the current information we have to date.

Very happy to continue reading all the speculation and ideas here though. I’m otherwise learning lots of new things here and waiting for more information or a move by Setagaya city and Japan as a whole, as well as a FACELESS part 2!

 

[SteveL]

Hi everyone sorry to just butt in here…
I’ve just registered after reading all of the three threads about this case. There are so many interesting points being made and I hope someday this poor family will get justice.

May I ask a question to @Incoherent? Your post about the Yokota school yearbooks after reading about FaclessPodcast’s theories really fascinated me, but you didn’t follow up about that... Did you find anything in those or anything else? I hope that is OK to ask and thank you!

I myself did a deep dive through the 2000 yearbook and noticed some very interesting things. I’d highly recommend everyone on this thread who leans towards Nic’s theories take a look themselves. Curious to see if we all notice the same clues.

 

[SteveL]

Hello and welcome to WS!

To answer your question: yes. Much more than I ever expected.
It is against WS rules to mention a POI not named by LE so I will adhere to that. However every detail released by LE and otherwise actually proven about the killer (nothing speculative) fits one person and after weeks of looking into them (sometimes late into the morning) it is astounding how much he fits in every way. Shocking honestly.
I understand where Nic has been coming from completely. This is of course just my opinion with the current information we have to date.

Very happy to continue reading all the speculation and ideas here though. I’m otherwise learning lots of new things here and waiting for more information or a move by Setagaya city and Japan as a whole, as well as a FACELESS part 2!

Incoherent, thanks for providing the initial link for the yearbooks. They also pop up via Google search. May I ask if your POI is in the 2000 yearbook? I think I noticed a lot of things in that one that back up Nic’s theories. But I’d greatly appreciate your insight. Thank you for all your contributions to this thread!

 

[FacelessPodcast]

I myself did a deep dive through the 2000 yearbook and noticed some very interesting things. I’d highly recommend everyone on this thread who leans towards Nic’s theories take a look themselves. Curious to see if we all notice the same clues.

Just jumping back on this to say: of course, I welcome anyone / everyone doing their own research. Though I have my own view, I've enjoyed hearing everyone else's across the 2+ years of this thread. But for anyone who is planning on the above, I would respectfully request that you don't contact or reach out to the people in those books. There's a lot going on offline that I'm unable to discuss here but I would very much deeply appreciate that.

 

[TokyoSleuth]

@FacelessPodcast, just been catching up on the last two threads after not visiting for a while. Wondered if you could clarify something. Apologies if I have just missed it.

As far as I was aware, this is where you were at with the sand:
1) Police found traces of sand that had a similar makeup to sand from both an area in Japan and California
2) You took samples of sand from 2 areas of California, one being outside the airbase
3) Your expert confirmed that each sample was very distinct from each other

Yet several times in the last two threads you have implied that the killer had traces of sand from a military base in his bag as if this is now fact. Have I missed some other information? Just to throat clear, completely aware you have much more knowledge about this case than anyone on this thread. Just that for me, unless forensically the sand in the bag has been compared with the sand you found and is the same, there is still no concrete evidence he was on the base in California. Only speculative.

Also a side note, after living in Japan only 20 minutes from the scene for the past 6 years, I finally saw a poster of the faceless man at Akasaka Station. The poster looked very new too, so wondering if there has been a recent initiative.

As always Nic, thank you for the great work and interaction and very keen to read/hear more of your work.

 

[FlowersInBloom]

Hello and welcome to WS!

To answer your question: yes. Much more than I ever expected.
It is against WS rules to mention a POI not named by LE so I will adhere to that. However every detail released by LE and otherwise actually proven about the killer (nothing speculative) fits one person and after weeks of looking into them (sometimes late into the morning) it is astounding how much he fits in every way. Shocking honestly.
I understand where Nic has been coming from completely. This is of course just my opinion with the current information we have to date.

Very happy to continue reading all the speculation and ideas here though. I’m otherwise learning lots of new things here and waiting for more information or a move by Setagaya city and Japan as a whole, as well as a FACELESS part 2!

Wow OK thank you for your reply. I really appreciate it. And the welcome!

Not a question for Incoherent here but continuing with this angle I have read some comments about the killer not being an American military brat because of his diet… but wasn’t it proven through his DNA he is definitely Asian and likely Korean? As someone Asian myself but born in Australia I don’t just eat Australian food because that’s where I’m from… I grew up on Vietnamese food made by my mother. So if the killer is Asian-American then couldn’t he also have the same upbringing? Does his diet have to be typically American for him to be American…?

 

[Sor Juana]

Also a side note, after living in Japan only 20 minutes from the scene for the past 6 years, I finally saw a poster of the faceless man at Akasaka Station. The poster looked very new too, so wondering if there has been a recent initiative.

RSBM. Thank you, @TokyoSleuth, for this new piece of information. Do you know what is notable about Akasaka station or the area around it? Is it a key station for transferring to a particular line or direction? Is it linked to Yokohama? Does the area around the station have specific demographics, such as a higher percentage of immigrants, or any other distinctive characteristics?

From what I know, Minato is a melting pot of various cultures and businesses, with a vibrant nightlife. The area features a notable presence of Chinese restaurants, from small eateries to poshy-poshy ones. While Minato is very cosmopolitan, there is also a notable presence of Chinese immigrants. Could you confirm that it's still the case?

 

[Incoherent]

@TokyoSleuth
I also saw one at Uguisudani Station the other week:

Surrounded by other posters of unsolved cases sadly.

 

[TokyoSleuth]

Do you know what is notable about Akasaka station or the area around it?

My assumption is that it is because it is on the Chiyoda line which connect through to Odakyu line. The Odakyu line has stations which are an easy walking distance from Soshigaya Park so it is natural that stations along that line would display the poster. Nothing to do with demographics.

@TokyoSleuth
I also saw one at Uguisudani Station the other week:

Uguisudani is on the upper side of Yamanote right? Quite far from Setagaya.

 

[Incoherent]

Uguisudani is on the upper side of Yamanote right? Quite far from Setagaya.

Yeah in Taito-ku one stop before Ueno and it backs Ueno park. About 40ish minutes from the closest station to the Miyazawa house. I was surprised to see it there.

 

[Charlot123]

Wow OK thank you for your reply. I really appreciate it. And the welcome!

Not a question for Incoherent here but continuing with this angle I have read some comments about the killer not being an American military brat because of his diet… but wasn’t it proven through his DNA he is definitely Asian and likely Korean? As someone Asian myself but born in Australia I don’t just eat Australian food because that’s where I’m from… I grew up on Vietnamese food made by my mother. So if the killer is Asian-American then couldn’t he also have the same upbringing? Does his diet have to be typically American for him to be American…?

No, not at all. Food preference is person-specific. We don't know if he was Asian, or a mixture of two ethnicities, for that matter, either. From own experience (raised in Russia, kids in US). I would consider buckwheat porridge "comfort food", but i'd think five times before offering it to them. For both, McDonald's food would be "comfort", at least till adult age. Maybe poutine, if in Canada. No matter what you feed them at home, they'd eat in daycare, kindergarten, school, college. They are primed by local, not ethnic food.

What the murderer ate is considered "comfort food" for Japanese kids. I assume that had he been raised at the base, he'd mostly eat what kids at the base would. JMO, of course, and everyone is different.

 

[Charlot123]

I myself did a deep dive through the 2000 yearbook and noticed some very interesting things. I’d highly recommend everyone on this thread who leans towards Nic’s theories take a look themselves. Curious to see if we all notice the same clues.

I didn't look through the book in details for certain ethical reasons. For the same reason, I would continue addressing the murderer as a local Japanese man. Statistically, the chance is higher.

What I want to ask is, was coloring hair popular among Japanese young men in 2000? I saw in (and interestingly, predominantly in local American-Japanese men but also some Japanese guests) around in 2010-2012. The hair would usually look reddish-orange.

And then I remembered two things, the two hairs found in the fanny pack of the murderer that he had. The police determined both belonged to him. Both were dark, but one seemed to be cut from both sides.

I have a very vague image in my mind. The murderer colors his hair, to look differently before the attack. The hair turns orange with dark roots. He understands that this way, he'd stand out more and cuts off the orangey part. The result is not satisfying (too short, noticeable) and he shaves it off. The hat is meant to cover the result. I remember some witnesses mentioning a man with a shaved head running in the back of the Miyazawas' house. Could it be of relevance?

And also, since Mikio was making theater costumes, could he be doing the whole makeup, too? Including arranging hair for the actors?

 

[FlowersInBloom]

No, not at all. Food preference is person-specific. We don't know if he was Asian, or a mixture of two ethnicities, for that matter, either. From own experience (raised in Russia, kids in US). I would consider buckwheat porridge "comfort food", but i'd think five times before offering it to them. For both, McDonald's food would be "comfort", at least till adult age. Maybe poutine, if in Canada. No matter what you feed them at home, they'd eat in daycare, kindergarten, school, college. They are primed by local, not ethnic food.

What the murderer ate is considered "comfort food" for Japanese kids. I assume that had he been raised at the base, he'd mostly eat what kids at the base would. JMO, of course, and everyone is different.

I see! I thought it was determined he was most likely Korean, and that the mixed heritage was further down the bloodline and likely wasn’t apparent… I’ll read further into that but thank you for your answer. I’m not great with DNA things and it’s kinda confusing.

It’s wild to me that spinach and string beans can be called a comfort food for kids!! Is that really true for Japanese kids? It just struck me as something a mother would make for her child for dinner… making sure they eat veggies. If he were living with his family on base I assumed he have most of his meals made at home. But you’re totally right he would of course eat out on the base too… and off of it I guess?

 

[Charlot123]

I see! I thought it was determined he was most likely Korean, and that the mixed heritage was further down the bloodline and likely wasn’t apparent… I’ll read further into that but thank you for your answer. I’m not great with DNA things and it’s kinda confusing.

It’s wild to me that spinach and string beans can be called a comfort food for kids!! Is that really true for Japanese kids? It just struck me as something a mother would make for her child for dinner… making sure they eat veggies. If he were living with his family on base I assumed he have most of his meals made at home. But you’re totally right he would of course eat out on the base too… and off of it I guess?

Well, the ethnicity is determined by autosomal DNA and we know of the results of Y and mito. I never read about TMPD testing the murderer's autosomal DNA, so I won't be able to tell. They commented on the murderer Y-haplotype being encountered in 1/5 Koreans, and 1/13 Japanese, and assuming he was more likely, Korean. I don't buy it because given that out of 30+ million Tokyo residents most are Japanese, the chance of the murderer with such a haplotype to be Japanese is still, statistically much higher.

 

[Sor Juana]

At ant rate, its hard for me to imagine a young-ish person committing this particular crime, especially as a first/only crime (as Nic’s suspect would seem to imply.). As y’all have noted, it ‘feels’ personal; the brutality of the kills, the overall -“eff-you” feeling of the various desecrations - personal.

From my understanding, the age range of the killer is quite broad to be definitive. For an adult, a 10-year span may not seem significant, but in youth, the difference between someone who is 15 yo versus 25 yo is huge. The TMPD indicates the age range as 15 to early 20s, which complicates profiling and leads to multiple plausible profiles. Therefore, there is a range of possible scenarios tailored to each profile. If the killer was younger, personal motives might strongly drive the mass murder. On the other hand, if older, in his 20s, personal motives might still play a role, but the likelihood of material gain increases. Various scenarios can be constructed with distinct combinations of age, motivation, psychological profile, and more. Each scenario is built upon evidence, with different weights assigned to each piece of evidence depending on the scenario.

Slazengers were ‘real’ sporting shoes in the 80s-90s. I played golf, and they had well known golf balls and clubs. However, I remember them being best known at the time as tennis shoes for pros. I don’t remember anyone of my age, in the US or abroad (among military members), wearing them, although the brand wasn’t unknown. Nike, Adidas, and K-Swiss were the thing in shoes back then (I graduated HS in 1988). In the early 90s, Puma also became a thing; Slazenger, never. It’d be interesting to know who the primary demographic for Slazenger shoe sales was back then.

In the 1990s, Slazenger shoes were known for being cheap and easy to find, especially in the UK and Australia. They were popular for everyday wear and sometimes used for sports like tennis as a budget option. However, they weren't as well-made as brands like Nike or Adidas. People often complained they didn't last long, weren't very comfortable, and didn't bend well. Still, they were affordable. Almost the same goes for Puma. When it comes to tennis pros, Bjorn Borg used to wear Slazenger shoes as part of a sponsorship deal. However, the pair he wore was custom-made and quite different from the standard Slazenger shoes you'd find in stores. It's akin to comparing a race-ready Ford to a regular Ford from a dealership.

My theory about the killer's shoes is this: he was on a tight budget and opted for affordable options, not using them for track-and-field sports or tennis. Instead, he chose Slazenger because they look sporty and fit his budget. However, I believe he practised martial arts (that don't require shoes), such as Muay Thai or something similar, at some point.

 

[Charlot123]

I see! I thought it was determined he was most likely Korean, and that the mixed heritage was further down the bloodline and likely wasn’t apparent… I’ll read further into that but thank you for your answer. I’m not great with DNA things and it’s kinda confusing.

It’s wild to me that spinach and string beans can be called a comfort food for kids!! Is that really true for Japanese kids? It just struck me as something a mother would make for her child for dinner… making sure they eat veggies. If he were living with his family on base I assumed he have most of his meals made at home. But you’re totally right he would of course eat out on the base too… and off of it I guess?

Spinach, string beans and sesame oil I could eat now. As a kid, never. Also, there is something about McDonald's food...kids and teenagers love it. I remember liking it when I first tried it. Now, not at all.

 

[Sor Juana]

It might also work for social skills and potentially, decrease alexithymia. The latter is not really treatable in adults. Must be scary to not have the names for the feelings, but at the same time, it could explain some behaviors. I am torn between the murders being very targeted or the killer only minimally knowing the family. One suffering from alexithymia could behave in a cold, aloof way after the murders: eat, drink, use bathroom, walk next to the bodies avoiding their blood, trying the computer, etc. You’d think covering the bodies would indicate some level of knowledge, but staying in the house also could mean “familiarizing” himself with the Miyazawas’ life. If the killer had imaginary world, then, “Goldilocks” behavior might imply “imagining living here, how would it feel?” Then, of course, dead, mutilated faces could be a distraction, and that could explain covering them, in order to “focus on own thoughts and imagination.”

MTE.
In favour of the targeted scenario, the intense and focused violence suggests a personal connection. The killer might have known the family's schedule, attacking late at night when they were likely asleep, indicating a premeditated plan.

For the minimal acquaintance scenario, the randomness of actions, such as leaving behind identifiable items, suggests a lack of planning and impulsive behaviour. The killer's apparent lack of fear of being caught, shown by the time spent in the house, could point to a psychological condition rather than a personal vendetta. The chaotic crime scene aligns with someone acting on impulse rather than with a specific, calculated objective.

This duality makes it difficult to definitively determine the killer's relationship to the family.

Building on the analysis, several facts can be given weight to speculate further about the murders.
Most families, including the Miyazawas, would typically go to bed around 11 PM, so the killer didn’t necessarily need to know the family well to assume they’d be asleep by then. The late hour of the attack might have been chosen because it's a quieter time, which could heighten the risk of noise attracting attention. However, the killer’s apparent disregard for noise and lack of concern about leaving identifiable items behind suggest he wasn't worried about immediate consequences, possibly because he planned to leave Japan the next day. This aligns with the second scenario of someone acting impulsively, potentially affected by alexithymia, showing little regard for the consequences.

The only element of planning might have been his prior knowledge of the house, potentially from taking lessons from Yasuko some time ago. He might have known that the adjacent house was (could be still) unoccupied, which could provide a window of opportunity without immediate risk of being caught. This would give him time to rest and further his sense of safety.