He could be Japanese, he could be a foreigner. One option has been explored for two decades and has yielded exactly nothing. How about the other?
Would you be against Japan expanding the search worldwide and seeking assistance due the limitations of the law in Japan?
Hello, Thread. I hope all are doing well. I'm just checking in briefly to broadly cover a few things, though you'll forgive me if I am unlikely to reply to counterpoints any time soon. I write this from Madrid, which is currently sweltering in 41C [105F, for my American friends]. As such, please also forgive the inevitable typos:
Blood -- I'm no sort of expert on this front. But I can tell you it was enough for the professionals on scene to deem it a
considerable amount he had lost. Either they're deluded, or the killer indeed lost a fair amount. In my view, this is not up for debate. This is not to say that every position the TMPD holds is sacred and cannot be questioned, I myself have been open about that. I just don't see how they could get something like that wrong. This is not the only murder they've ever worked. Or, put another way: where is the evidence for such an error? [Again, 2Chan / Listverse / a Wikipedia page honeycombed with dead links doesn't amount to solid evidence, in my view].
Injuries -- Now, as I understand it, the injuries were on his little finger and his wrist, both right hand. It's also very possible he cut his left hand too, I think he might have switched up throughout the attack. He also definitely beat Yasuko and Niina manually. I spent a fair amount of time discussing the injuries and there was no mention of choking or chokeholds. Also, for those thinking that 'there was not a huge amount of blood' on the scene. Based on what, exactly? Yasuko was left without a face. Her brain was emerging from her head. Sorry to be graphic but that's just how it was.
Monks -- I'm not sure where this idea has emerged from, I imagine from a user I've blocked. But I'm unsure of what it's based on? The killer may also have left via helicopter or UFO. Is there any evidence to contrary? I can tell you detectives checked all hotels and public accommodations very quickly after the bodies were discovered. Perhaps some users will choose to think this wouldn't include temples. Or the possibility of this slipped the collective mind of the TMPD. I have no issue in folks wanting to explore this monastic possibility. But for me, the sheer improbability, taken in conjunction with the national tendency to report suspicious behaviour, means this theory isn't worth losing a lot of time over. JMO.
Japan / TMPD -- I'm not sure what correlation there is between work productivity and the killer not being found. Or are we simply bringing into question the effort of the TMPD? For one thing, WS is LE-friendly. For another, I have seen first-hand how hard they have worked this case. I appreciate many of us here have our own anecdotal experiences of Japan and it will colour our opinions accordingly. Forgive me if I've misconceived the premise of OP. But if I arbitrarily pointed out that the entry requirements to become a police officer in, say, Boulder CO, are far, far lower than in Tokyo and, as such, then implied that's why JonBenet Ramsey's case remains unsolved; I'm not sure how fair that would be.
RE: the Miyazawas, the Chief of Police himself came down to the scene, declared the crime as heinous, and demanded his detectives find the culprit. I have read extensive studies on the contours of police integrity before ever making my podcast. I have dealt with the TMPD in different ways, including professionally. For anyone wondering if that action from the Chief was normal, I can save you the time. It was not. This is not just another case to them. Now, as I've said many times, I'm more than happy to brook differing views, moreover I'm grateful that you guys are here in the first place. But what I view as perhaps unfair or misguided, is the idea that the TMPD have not done as much as they can to find the killer. Yes, there are differences in customs / sociopolitical norms. Yes, there are different laws surrounding DNA. I still do not think that the premise that the Japanese do 'not get much done' can reasonably be applied in this case.
Multiple Assailants / The Killer In the Park -- RE: there being more than one culprit. The possibility of a getaway driver or a lookout, I cannot discount. I can only say that within the house, there is absolutely zero evidence of a second man. Unless he's capable of levitation and wrapped in cling film, there was only one male intruder that night. If anyone has them, though, I'm happy to view any compelling ideas to the contrary.
As for the killer in the park, skating or torturing animals. On the latter, I can only repeat that the culprit for this was apprehended and convicted. The boy talking about a family murder on 2Chan in the days before the 30th of December was found and cleared. As for being a skateboarder, we've been over this ad nauseam for the last 2+ years. In short; it's possible, though there is no actual evidence for it (the grip tape is NOT substantiated by the TMPD). The killer wore tennis / squash shoes and both sports are accessible in the very nearby vicinity; I'm yet to hear why the killer could not have been there in the first instance to practice his forehand. On skating, I will add that I interviewed multiple skateboarders, both young and old. Several used Soshigaya Park in the 1990s and were very involved in the scene. They all said the same thing; it was frowned upon back then / associated with being a 'no good punk'. I accept the premise that walking around with a skateboard
may have been a good disguise. Though, so too would it have attracted disproving glances. But again, we don't have anything solid that substantiates the use of a skateboard. What we do know is that he covered his face, wore a low-brimmed hat and a scarf. My argument would be that
this was his disguise. Maybe a skateboard would have been the cherry on top. Maybe it would have been gilding the lily.
CCTV -- The quality was obviously nowhere near as defined back then but it was both legible and widespread. I recall reading an ivy league university study about the use of CCTV in Tokyo as a common deterrence really gaining traction in the years before/after our case. Nothing really to add here except that we know that the TMPD are still analysing video as they cleared a man within the last 1-2 years who bought the same knife just before the murders. So, while it likely will require modern-day techniques to elevate the quality, evidently that CCTV in the local area can be of material use.
The Killer's Nationality -- As I have many times, I do not say with certainty that the killer is non-Japanese. Only that I believe there is a chance. And I'm yet to see one single compelling reason why there is
NO chance. Not one. While I understand probability, and while I understand other cases in Japan have gone unsolved for a long time, I do not understand how this somehow removes that possibility.
The fact the killer has not being caught is self-evidently and obviously not proof of him being a foreigner. Where do I say that it is? If I've given that impression, then I'm at fault for communicating poorly. Clearly, the killer's ongoing freedom is evidence, in and of itself, of nothing. Still, I fail to see why it is not worthwhile searching for him abroad. In the context of the time and effort already poured into this investigation across the past 24 years, who here can offer one single solid reason why the TMPD should not merely check with international counterparts? Who here can offer one single solid reason why talking to the local authorities near the USAF base in California is not worth a visit or a phone call. Even if you think the sand clue is BS, what's the harm in ruling it out? Yet when I went there myself, LE were mystified by this case, they'd never heard of it. Why is that? I asked for the names of colleagues around in the year 2000 who were now retired and spoke with them, too. I was assured of one thing by all;
if the TMPD had asked us to look into something, we sure would have. And it was an open offer. My only point is, you gain more than you lose by simply checking. Continuing the search for a theoretically Japanese killer in Japan AND a for a foreign one abroad -- both can be done.
As ever, I thank you all for contributing to this thread.
