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

[dotr]

fwiw, One (disgusting ) way that some young males may have formed a familiarity with sanitary napkins.
2018

Teenagers in Indonesia Are Reportedly Boiling Menstrual Pads to Get High

It's a dangerous trend.

www.teenvogue.com

''According to Vice, Adj. Sr. Comr. Suprinarto, the head of the Central Java branch of the National Drug Agency (BNN), says some teens — most between the ages of 13 and 16 — have been boiling both new and used sanitary napkins in an effort to distill and ingest the chemicals inside the products.''

 

[FacelessPodcast]

fwiw, One (disgusting ) way that some young males may have formed a familiarity with sanitary napkins.
2018

Teenagers in Indonesia Are Reportedly Boiling Menstrual Pads to Get High

It's a dangerous trend.

www.teenvogue.com

''According to Vice, Adj. Sr. Comr. Suprinarto, the head of the Central Java branch of the National Drug Agency (BNN), says some teens — most between the ages of 13 and 16 — have been boiling both new and used sanitary napkins in an effort to distill and ingest the chemicals inside the products.''

"Used'
:/

 

[BatataPoha]

fwiw, One (disgusting ) way that some young males may have formed a familiarity with sanitary napkins.
2018

Teenagers in Indonesia Are Reportedly Boiling Menstrual Pads to Get High

It's a dangerous trend.

www.teenvogue.com

''According to Vice, Adj. Sr. Comr. Suprinarto, the head of the Central Java branch of the National Drug Agency (BNN), says some teens — most between the ages of 13 and 16 — have been boiling both new and used sanitary napkins in an effort to distill and ingest the chemicals inside the products.''

Wow. You learn new medical facts every day.

 

[BatataPoha]

Keeping this interesting pad tidbit aside, I found it interesting that the sands are from the same places that the Miyazawas had also been in their free time,

Might be incredibly coincidental, but how often do you find a killer to have the same vacation spot as his victims?

 

[FacelessPodcast]

Keeping this interesting pad tidbit aside, I found it interesting that the sands are from the same places that the Miyazawas had also been in their free time,

RSBM: Where are you reading this?

 

[BatataPoha]

RSBM: Where are you reading this?

I didn’t mean the exact locations, but you mentioned that the Miyazawas had also been to vacation in the same city or region in the US that the sand was from? And another beach in Japan?

 

[FacelessPodcast]

I didn’t mean the exact locations, but you mentioned that the Miyazawas had also been to vacation in the same city or region in the US that the sand was from? And another beach in Japan?

Oh right, yeah. I know Mikio had been to the US with the family, definitely he went to California and NY. Though no evidence he went to Edwards AFB, of course.

As for them being on vacation to Mabori Beach, I don’t know that I did say that? Though, I can’t rule it out and it wouldnt be an odd thing for them to do—it’s not super far from Tokyo etc.

 

[BatataPoha]

Oh right, yeah. I know Mikio had been to the US with the family, definitely he went to California and NY. Though no evidence he went to Edwards AFB, of course.

As for them being on vacation to Mabori Beach, I don’t know that I did say that? Though, I can’t rule it out and it wouldnt be an odd thing for them to do—it’s not super far from Tokyo etc.

It is certainly a massive coincidence, especially since there was no tangible reason for the killer to leave the hip bag behind.

No one saw him coming in with the hip bag under his jacket, and if he is bold enough to take Mikio’s sweatshirt, then the hip bag shouldn’t be a big deal.
Even if we assume the rest of his clothes were disposable and didn’t mean much to him, the hip bag had certainly been used outside of the murders.

So why leave it behind? Quite crazy. And ofcourse he couldn’t have known about the sands inside, but what a coincidence that the Miyazawas had also been to the US.

 

[FacelessPodcast]

It is certainly a massive coincidence, especially since there was no tangible reason for the killer to leave the hip bag behind.

I'm assuming there was blood on it. Given his injury, maybe he figured there was no point / no conceivable way he was going to be able to clean everything up satisfactorily. If we accept the premise that it's possible that he had a way out of the country, then he might well have thought that it didn't matter as much. If they have 3 pieces of evidence against me, they might as well have 300--they have to catch me first. Alternatively, it's possible he just wasn't thinking straight. Or he was an idiot. But if he was, then he was one that never offended again in such a manner and has managed to elude the TMPD for 24 years. Not impossible, obviously. Just based on what I know, both that which I've shared here and that which I have not, my feeling is he left.

No one saw him coming in with the hip bag under his jacket, and if he is bold enough to take Mikio’s sweatshirt, then the hip bag shouldn’t be a big deal.

Unless it's as mundane as the bag having blood on it and Mikio's sweater being clean.

Even if we assume the rest of his clothes were disposable and didn’t mean much to him, the hip bag had certainly been used outside of the murders.

We know it was, yes. The TMPD have said it was well-worn. We also know that only his genetic material and fingerprints were on that bag. We also know it's likely he was keeping pens in that bag and that the police have said they are looking for someone who was living the student lifestyle at the time of the murders.

So why leave it behind? Quite crazy. And ofcourse he couldn’t have known about the sands inside, but what a coincidence that the Miyazawas had also been to the US.

Like so many of the choices he makes. In listening to the decisions a murderer makes, you can sometimes hear them whispering their own name. In this case, it's a cacophony that's blaring so loudly, you can't make out the words. So, so many strange choices. I'm not sure that a Japanese tourist having gone to the USA before is that much of a coincidence myself but certainly, the possibility exists that the flashpoint / connection between killer and victims didn't actually occur in Japan, even if their murders did.

 

[Charlot123]

"Used'
:/

When "recycling" is taken to a new level

 

[Charlot123]

Yes, there is or was a narrow road between. That's how cars came in and out. Obviously, the house opposite is long gone but when you're there in person, you can kind of make out the traces of it. You're right in that it was very close. The neighbours heard nothing, were fingerprinted, and I can tell you that detectives had zero concerns about them. So, if they were involved somehow, they pulled off the perfect crime. As it happens, I have the name of this man, the neighbour, but, as I understand it, he wishes to be left out of any and all investigation. I leave him to his peace.

If anything, I think the opposite. Both An's house inhabitants and the neighbors across the street heard very little. This may indicate that indeed, little was heard and maybe, the entry was quiet (the back of the house or via the door). I expect that if there were some threatening noises, given that the neighbors and An's family were, too, living in a remote place, they'd call the police. I am a little bit surprised that no one called the police when an unknown car parked on that tiny road in front of the house, though. They were all vulnerable in that area, to think of.

View attachment 520618
Are you referring to the man in the middle? That's either Chief Tsuchita or one of his cohorts. He will have been wearing an armband signifying his status as Inspector.

Edit to clarify: There are two chiefs I've mentioned in this case. One is the aforementioned Tsuchita. He led the investigation for years as head of Seijo, the local PD. But shortly after the bodies were discovered, it was the Chief of Police himself who came down from his ivory tower to brand the case heinous and demand a result.

I am looking at the man behind the house, next to the road separating from Setagaya park. I wonder who he is.

 

[Incoherent]

Here is another (much worse quality, apologies) photo of the morning of discovery from the opposite angle that I posted before. You can see on the front door the traditional new year decoration we hang up in Japan is still there, and the telephone pole to the right displays the advertisement for Yasuko’s school again:

What I noticed in this photo and have circled is that the wooden structure on the property grounds that is used for growing flowers (pergola? trellis?) has been graffitied. It looks like it reads “zero” and is likely a tag. It was said that Mikio did have some run-ins with the skaters from the skate park across the road, but this graffiti to me shows disrespect towards the Miyazawas as it’s been done on and to their property. I should say, I don’t really know if the family did own the strip of land beside their house or not but either way it was done very close to their front door.

It could just be nothing really, but it made my stomach sink a little because it seems the family may have had trouble with some people in the area for this to happen. Or it’s just teenagers being teenagers and there are more instances of this in the area, but I haven’t seen that yet.
JMO here.

 

[cujenn81]

Here is another (much worse quality, apologies) photo of the morning of discovery from the opposite angle that I posted before. You can see on the front door the traditional new year decoration we hang up in Japan is still there, and the telephone pole to the right displays the advertisement for Yasuko’s school again:
View attachment 520763
What I noticed in this photo and have circled is that the wooden structure on the property grounds that is used for growing flowers (pergola? trellis?) has been graffitied. It looks like it reads “zero” and is likely a tag. It was said that Mikio did have some run-ins with the skaters from the skate park across the road, but this graffiti to me shows disrespect towards the Miyazawas as it’s been done on and to their property. I should say, I don’t really know if the family did own the strip of land beside their house or not but either way it was done very close to their front door.

It could just be nothing really, but it made my stomach sink a little because it seems the family may have had trouble with some people in the area for this to happen. Or it’s just teenagers being teenagers and there are more instances of this in the area, but I haven’t seen that yet.
JMO here.

Nice eagle eye!

I only recently discovered this case and have spent more hours than I’d care to admit going through the three threads, listening to the podcast, researching, and taking notes — but more on that later.

Your local insight, shared links, photos and videos have been invaluable to this case discussion. So, thank you!

 

[Charlot123]

Here is another (much worse quality, apologies) photo of the morning of discovery from the opposite angle that I posted before. You can see on the front door the traditional new year decoration we hang up in Japan is still there, and the telephone pole to the right displays the advertisement for Yasuko’s school again:
View attachment 520763
What I noticed in this photo and have circled is that the wooden structure on the property grounds that is used for growing flowers (pergola? trellis?) has been graffitied. It looks like it reads “zero” and is likely a tag. It was said that Mikio did have some run-ins with the skaters from the skate park across the road, but this graffiti to me shows disrespect towards the Miyazawas as it’s been done on and to their property. I should say, I don’t really know if the family did own the strip of land beside their house or not but either way it was done very close to their front door.

It could just be nothing really, but it made my stomach sink a little because it seems the family may have had trouble with some people in the area for this to happen. Or it’s just teenagers being teenagers and there are more instances of this in the area, but I haven’t seen that yet.
JMO here.

Thank you for the great photo. I noticed that policemen are wearing white gloves as part of their uniform and thought that scars could be hidden under the gloves, too. I am not suspecting the police, rather, thinking of how many professional uniforms would include gloves. BTW, nowadays the scars can be barely noticeable, or concealed under a tattoo, or dermabraded.

 

[Incoherent]

Nice eagle eye!

I only recently discovered this case and have spent more hours than I’d care to admit going through the three threads, listening to the podcast, researching, and taking notes — but more on that later.

Your local insight, shared links, photos and videos have been invaluable to this case discussion. So, thank you!

Thanks for your kind words! I often spend time looking through photos, videos, and interviews out there to see if I can spot something we haven’t spoken about here that could lead to new information or theories from the great WS minds. Of course with regard to my recent posts about Yasuko’s school and now the graffiti, I assume the TMPD already know everything there is to know about it and it hasn’t lead to anything.

Thank you for the great photo. I noticed that policemen are wearing white gloves as part of their uniform and thought that scars could be hidden under the gloves, too. I am not suspecting the police, rather, thinking of how many professional uniforms would include gloves. BTW, nowadays the scars can be barely noticeable, or concealed under a tattoo, or dermabraded.

I think in this instance it is because it’s a murder scene and to not leave fingerprints anywhere by mistake. But as for wearing gloves as part of their uniform, you might be surprised to know that taxi drivers in Japan wear white gloves as part of their uniform. Bus drivers and train conductors often do too, but not always. My point being here is that in Japan you may see gloves on people who you wouldn’t think would wear them, but they do.

 

[slowpoke]

Re: Yasuko’s cram school, Nic will have the most details on that but I can share something I found a few weeks back when looking at photos taken on the morning of the the bodies being discovered:
View attachment 520605
On the telephone pole on the right I’ve circled the advertisement for Yasuko’s school, which would have likely been ripped down very soon after the day of discovery.

It says that her school teaches Math 数学, Japanese 国語, Toddlers 幼児, and most interestingly to me it says they teach English 英語. Whether it means she only taught toddlers or older I’m unsure.

Mikio worked for an international company and took trips to the US for work so it is safe to assume he likely spoke English, but as for Yasuko I’m not sure. This could mean the possibility that she had people working with her at her school teaching different subjects, or maybe it was just her. But I did find these points very interesting.

This style of advertisement is almost identical to the Kumon cram schools we have in Japan, but I can’t say for certain it definitely was one. However, I have seen many of those advertisements around me and they’re very similar.

Also, as the discussion is currently about location you can see the houses across the river that look down upon the Miyazawa house in this photo.

I’m too late into this thread to be of much help, but I put the ad through Google Lens and in the top right, Google Lens says:”Kumon style”, so seems you are right (I can’t read kanji).

 

[Incoherent]

I’m too late into this thread to be of much help, but I put the ad through Google Lens and in the top right, Google Lens says:”Kumon style”, so seems you are right (I can’t read kanji).

Fantastic spot slowpoke, it does indeed say Kumon 公文. This is the kanji used for the company name. We can probably say for certain this was the company Yasuko had the franchised school with.

 

[AppleTreeGreen]

So, I doubt he thought of the risk of going back with bloody clothing.

It also makes me wonder why leave the clothes at all? Why not steal a bag or two or three to double or triple bag the clothes to hide how bloody they were before throwing them away on a nearby dumpster? What was wrong with that option? Was he pressed for time? In a rush or panic?

Why not bring them home unless he knew he didn’t live alone and there was too big a risk either a roommate, partner or parent would see or smell them? How did he get home? Did he have his own car? Take public transportation or did he arrange ahead of time to get picked up by someone and that’s why he had to do his very best to appear presentable, even if it meant stealing his victims’ clothes?

The perp creating a folder makes me question whether there were specific documents he wanted to easily find, organize and print? IIRC, the killer stole the Moyazawas’ money. Did Mikio have any credit cards or bank accounts that could be used just as easily in the US and UK? Perhaps, if he was going abroad he was trying to access their account and PIN numbers to take with him?

Also, to be fair and IIRC, An Irie and her husband had just returned back from the UK? Perhaps the jet lag caused them to be tired enough that they fell into a deep sleep and were able to tune out most sounds besides the thud? Also, interestingly enough a thud is also one of the few sounds recorded by a neighbor’s security camera on the night that 4 college students were brutally murdered inside their home in Idaho. Their house was also soundproofed and the timing of the recording and the thud also is suspected to match the time the horrific attacks were carried out. Similar to the Setagaya case though the sounds of notable and repeated screaming or alarm are generally absent despite court documents indicating at least 2 of the victims were conscious and fought back when the perp carried out his attack. Just food for thought I have been pondering on.

Also, the perp not only brazenly leaving his clothes but also blood, fingerprints and fecal matter, all of which he could have cleaned up before he leaving, at the scene, seems to imply to me a certainty or confidence that LE in Japan would not have access to his personal or private information that would connect them to his identity. Exactly how could he have such privilege or protection? Perhaps through his own position or that of his family’s that includes diplomatic or military immunity like Nic mentioned before? Has the perp abused these privilege before in another country qmd that was he felt confident it would again even after he committed the vicious murders of a family of four? Or was he at the age where he was mature enough to try to test and use them for the first time and for his own selfish and unlawful advantage?


All MOO for the most part

 

[Incoherent]

It also makes me wonder why leave the clothes at all? Why not steal a bag or two or three to double or triple bag the clothes to hide how bloody they were before throwing them away on a nearby dumpster? What was wrong with that option? Was he pressed for time? In a rush or panic?

Why not bring them home unless he knew he didn’t live alone and there was too big a risk either a roommate, partner or parent would see or smell them? How did he get home? Did he have his own car? Take public transportation or did he arrange ahead of time to get picked up by someone and that’s why he had to do his very best to appear presentable, even if it meant stealing his victims’ clothes?

The perp creating a folder makes me question whether there were specific documents he wanted to easily find, organize and print? IIRC, the killer stole the Moyazawas’ money. Did Mikio have any credit cards or bank accounts that could be used just as easily in the US and UK? Perhaps, if he was going abroad he was trying to access their account and PIN numbers to take with him?

Also, to be fair and IIRC, An Irie and her husband had just returned back from the UK? Perhaps the jet lag caused them to be tired enough that they fell into a deep sleep and were able to tune out most sounds besides the thud? Also, interestingly enough a thud is also one of the few sounds recorded by a neighbor’s security camera on the night that 4 college students were brutally murdered inside their home in Idaho. Their house was also soundproofed and the timing of the recording and the thud also is suspected to match the time the horrific attacks were carried out. Similar to the Setagaya case though the sounds of notable and repeated screaming or alarm are generally absent despite court documents indicating at least 2 of the victims were conscious and fought back when the perp carried out his attack. Just food for thought I have been pondering on.

Also, the perp not only brazenly leaving his clothes but also blood, fingerprints and fecal matter, all of which he could have cleaned up before he leaving, at the scene, seems to imply to me a certainty or confidence that LE in Japan would not have access to his personal or private information that would connect them to his identity. Exactly how could he have such privilege or protection? Perhaps through his own position or that of his family’s that includes diplomatic or military immunity like Nic mentioned before? Has the perp abused these privilege before in another country qmd that was he felt confident it would again even after he committed the vicious murders of a family of four? Or was he at the age where he was mature enough to try to test and use them for the first time and for his own selfish and unlawful advantage?


All MOO for the most part

Lots of million yen questions here!

As for the Irie family returning from England I’m pretty certain that was in April of 2000, so they had been back in Japan for around 8 months already.

 

[BatataPoha]

Could there be a link between Mikio working on plane liveries, someone wanting plans for those planes from his computer and maybe their attempt to bomb or smuggle something in the plane, especially if they had planned to leave on that particular plane model shortly after the murders?