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

[Kitsey]

The bowel movement was flushed, there were just small remains in the bowl.

Ah, thanks for correcting me! I had the impression there was no attempt to flush

 

[Incoherent]

Ah, thanks for correcting me! I had the impression there was no attempt to flush

Up until the release of the documentary last month that was the reported information, but it turned out that he actually did flush the toilet and there were no documents thrown inside it either.

There were a fair few things that were cleared up upon it’s release.

 

[Bobban]

Re: staging, they touch on this very briefly in the documentary.

They point out that the drawers on the cabinet in the living room are all open fully and that to be able to search all of them without closing and re-opening he’d need to open them from the bottom and work his way up, but that none of their contents were particularly rifled through. They say this indicates he’s opening all the drawers in quick succession but not actually looking in them.
Of course there are two pulled out entirely, one from 1F, with their contents dumped in the bath and on the sofa.
Rei’s bedroom also has drawers open. Yasuko’s handbags are in the toilet room. Is he looking for something? Just doing it for the sake of it? Or staging? What could be in a 6 year old boy’s bedroom drawers?

They don’t say much more on it besides that, but it does raise their eyebrows.

Could he in some twisted way have been getting to know the family? Looking for personal things and if the drawer didn't look like it contained personal things he couldn't bother with it. Some personal items like credit cards(?) seemed to have been of interest enough to be collected and looked through. Searching through a kids room you probably won't find anything of value in terms of money, was he just curious about who the family were?

 

[eddie_van]

Up until the release of the documentary last month that was the reported information, but it turned out that he actually did flush the toilet and there were no documents thrown inside it either.

There were a fair few things that were cleared up upon it’s release.

what recent documentary is this? would like to watch

 

[Vern]

what recent documentary is this? would like to watch

I'd suggest going back to page 1 of this thread and giving it a read through. There is translations provided and screen shots from the documentary as well as great context from individuals that may provide insight into this case.

 

[Incoherent]

Here is a video of an interviewer sitting down with Setsuko Miyazawa talking about Niina and Rei’s lives from birth until their deaths. This video shows very intimate photos of the family and the years of their happy lives until that fateful day. It is of course in Japanese.

There is nothing remarkable said about each photo but just intimate tidbits of their lives which I’m happy to translate if anyone wants to know about any photo or comment.

I feel like this video is worth watching for those of you that feel a connection to this case.

Besides this, the ongoing discussion about DNA usage between the chief, TMPD, and the Japanese government continues. It seems there will be some more decisions made in the next few months that is worth keeping an eye on.

Further info that has come from the documentary though: it seems as though another knife was found… discarded in a box by the kitchen. Unused, and has not been reported as the killer’s. Why it was found there I don’t know. The box was on the floor by the kitchen entrance.

 

[Eliver]

Here is a video of an interviewer sitting down with Setsuko Miyazawa talking about Niina and Rei’s lives from birth until their deaths. This video shows very intimate photos of the family and the years of their happy lives until that fateful day. It is of course in Japanese.

There is nothing remarkable said about each photo but just intimate tidbits of their lives which I’m happy to translate if anyone wants to know about any photo or comment.

I feel like this video is worth watching for those of you that feel a connection to this case.

Besides this, the ongoing discussion about DNA usage between the chief, TMPD, and the Japanese government continues. It seems there will be some more decisions made in the next few months that is worth keeping an eye on.

Further info that has come from the documentary though: it seems as though another knife was found… discarded in a box by the kitchen. Unused, and has not been reported as the killer’s. Why it was found there I don’t know. The box was on the floor by the kitchen entrance.

Great find @Incoherent, I also scoured the Sora no Kai channel but for some reason this video flew over my head.

Unfortunately I had to stop midway through.
Although I was able to sit through the whole documentary, strangely enough this video was too much for me.

The thing that keeps triggering me is the fact that Niina and Rei were my age and I just can't bring myself to watch their photos, particularly not as they are presented in the video.

I didn't know about the ongoing talk about the DNA, I thought the situation was simply stalling with no further developments.
Good to know!

 

[Incoherent]

I didn't know about the ongoing talk about the DNA, I thought the situation was simply stalling with no further developments.
Good to know!

RSBM: as with everything in Japan change is taking time, but Nic’s interview with Parabon is doing big rounds and serving as a talking point between the parties of murder victims, decision makers and the police.

Discussions and decisions will be made within the next few months surrounding DNA usage in such cases and how it is to be treated. Hopefully we are getting closer.

 

[lilykaluva]

RSBM: as with everything in Japan change is taking time, but Nic’s interview with Parabon is doing big rounds and serving as a talking point between the parties of murder victims, decision makers and the police.

Discussions and decisions will be made within the next few months surrounding DNA usage in such cases and how it is to be treated. Hopefully we are getting closer.

Fingers crossed, literally praying they can move forward with this.

 

[Incoherent]

Fingers crossed, literally praying they can move forward with this.

The Parabon angle is one that “cushions the blow” somewhat of using DNA here in Japan because the main talking points are that it can be used to reconstruct the face of the killer, rather than using it in other ways that violates the strict privacy laws that exist here.
Of course it would be ideal if it could be used completely and in its entirety, but that is likely to get immediate pushback and struck down.

The interview Nic did with Parabon presents this idea of facial reconstruction perfectly and the chief is using it as one of his main talking points to move forward with DNA usage.

If we could just get a face it could be the beginning to the end of all of this.

 

[Mandala]

Excuse my lack of knowledge, but has the DNA been run through Japanese databases and other international databases?
Surely with developments in investigative genetic genealogy they could find a link that leads to this killer.

 

[Eliver]

Excuse my lack of knowledge, but has the DNA been run through Japanese databases and other international databases?
Surely with developments in investigative genetic genealogy they could find a link that leads to this killer.

Of course, it has been run through everything you mentioned and there were no matches, meaning the culprit had no criminal history and most probably did not offend again (or if he did, he was not caught AGAIN, which I find improbable to the point of being impossible).

Here in Japan there are very strict laws about the usage of DNA because of privacy concerns.
That's why many are advocating for this to be changed.

As of now there is no legal framework to use the investigate genetic genealogy, that's the whole point and one of the (many) reasons why it hasn't been solved until now.

 

[Mandala]

Of course, it has been run through everything you mentioned and there were no matches, meaning the culprit had no criminal history and most probably did not offend again (or if he did, he was not caught AGAIN, which I find improbable to the point of being impossible).

Here in Japan there are very strict laws about the usage of DNA because of privacy concerns.
That's why many are advocating for this to be changed.

As of now there is no legal framework to use the investigate genetic genealogy, that's the whole point and one of the (many) reasons why it hasn't been solved until now.

How frustrating. If they could find people with shared DNA they could narrow it down.

 

[KentuckyMama]

Here is a video of an interviewer sitting down with Setsuko Miyazawa talking about Niina and Rei’s lives from birth until their deaths. This video shows very intimate photos of the family and the years of their happy lives until that fateful day. It is of course in Japanese.

There is nothing remarkable said about each photo but just intimate tidbits of their lives which I’m happy to translate if anyone wants to know about any photo or comment.

I feel like this video is worth watching for those of you that feel a connection to this case.

Besides this, the ongoing discussion about DNA usage between the chief, TMPD, and the Japanese government continues. It seems there will be some more decisions made in the next few months that is worth keeping an eye on.

Further info that has come from the documentary though: it seems as though another knife was found… discarded in a box by the kitchen. Unused, and has not been reported as the killer’s. Why it was found there I don’t know. The box was on the floor by the kitchen entrance.

Thank you so much for posting this video. I couldn't understand a single word of course, but I could hear the laughter and the tone of the words. I heard love. And heartbreak. They look so happy in the photos. Beautiful children. A normal family doing their best. Its clear they loved their babies and each other.

While I understand why privacy laws are so important, I feel such a gnawing frustration that the answer is right there out of reach. Maybe they could loosen the privacy laws around DNA for only certain crimes that meet some very specific criteria. Such as number of victims. Age of victims. Or time unsolved. Something to give hope to the family left behind in these situations. The technology isn't going away and only becomes more mainstream every day. Change will come. I'm hoping it comes while some of the family is around still.

 

[Incoherent]

Thank you so much for posting this video. I couldn't understand a single word of course, but I could hear the laughter and the tone of the words. I heard love. And heartbreak. They look so happy in the photos. Beautiful children. A normal family doing their best. Its clear they loved their babies and each other.

While I understand why privacy laws are so important, I feel such a gnawing frustration that the answer is right there out of reach. Maybe they could loosen the privacy laws around DNA for only certain crimes that meet some very specific criteria. Such as number of victims. Age of victims. Or time unsolved. Something to give hope to the family left behind in these situations. The technology isn't going away and only becomes more mainstream every day. Change will come. I'm hoping it comes while some of the family is around still.

You’re very welcome and you described it perfectly. Even in her old age, Setsuko remembers very small details about each photo she talks about. Those children knew nothing but love and adoration.

Re: your points about loosening the law for certain cases, that is exactly what has been proposed by Setagaya city. They say for cases such as this one it should not be allowed to remain unsolved for the sake of the grieving families and justice for the deceased, and DNA should be allowed to be used in such cases to reach a conclusion.
As I said in previous posts it is under discussion in various forms with relevant parties, so here is hoping.

According to what I have read we should have more on these decisions by late March.

 

[eddie_van]

one thing I learned recently is that Japan only abolished the statute of limitations for murder in 2010. before then if a murder wasn't solved in 15 years they just had to give up. they are really behind on issues of criminal justice.

 

[Incoherent]

one thing I learned recently is that Japan only abolished the statute of limitations for murder in 2010. before then if a murder wasn't solved in 15 years they just had to give up. they are really behind on issues of criminal justice.

This is the case that got it abolished.

 

[eddie_van]

I'd suggest going back to page 1 of this thread and giving it a read through. There is translations provided and screen shots from the documentary as well as great context from individuals that may provide insight into this case.

I read through page 1 of this thread and see nothing about a new documentary. Also the video you linked is just 14 seconds long. Please link to the actual new documentary and/or commentary about it.

 

[Eliver]

The full documentary is on YouTube for those who wish to view it, however it is in Japanese only and not subtitled in English.

The kind @Eliver has offered to take on the task of subtitling so I’ll leave that to them.

I read through page 1 of this thread and see nothing about a new documentary. Also the video you linked is just 14 seconds long. Please link to the actual new documentary and/or commentary about it.

It was linked in the post above at page 9.
Once again, keep in mind that the YouTube automatic translation (and the overall cuts that have been made by who posted it), is really poor.

 

[Incoherent]

It was linked in the post above at page 9.
Once again, keep in mind that the YouTube automatic translation (and the overall cuts that have been made by who posted it), is really poor.

Soranokai have uploaded a clean version with no cuts after the documentary was aired for free on TV apps here, so this version is 100%:

Also yes the auto-translate is still mostly incorrect.