Obviously, I can't categorically discount this theory or the thoughts of Mr. Motohashi, but to me, with no disrespect at all intended, it seems very, very unlikely as a motive for a few reasons.
Firstly, if he's economically disadvantaged, how does he have a brand-new Uniqlo jacket, a $50 shirt, a knife of around the same price, and seemingly sand grains from the Mojave Desert indicating access to international travel?
Secondly, if there was some kind of financial jealousy angle, why the Miyazawa family? We know from speaking to Mikio's mother that he was a relatively frugal man who kept detailed financial records since childhood. If Motohashi is explicitly urging the TMPD away from their current line of investigation to steer them towards a financial motivation, what's that based on? True, they lived in a relatively large home by Tokyo standards but he describes the homes in the area as "spacious." The video of the house tour is widely available. I would not describe it in any way as spacious considering it was a family of 4. Motohashi leans on the words "if" and "some criminals". Not exactly a rock-solid reason imo.
Thirdly, he himself suggests that thieves prefer to target homes that are easy to break into. This was not the case with this home. Also, what kind of thief enters a home to steal and immediately kills a sleeping child? And what kind of thief assumes a family home will be empty at night with lights on? None of this passes the smell test. Illogical imo.
This was the comment I posted in response to the article at the time:
Nicolas84Dec. 29, 2022 11:59 pm JST
Full disclosure, I made a recently-released a 7-part podcast with USG Audio (Universal) regarding this case so I have a somewhat in-depth perspective. It's not my intention to criticise the author of this article, nor Mr. Motohashi. In the podcast (it's called
FACELESS) we speak to TMPD personnel involved in the investigation of these murders, as well as various experts. And frankly, there are fundamental errors being recycled and regurgitated down the years in the reportage regarding this case.
"The killer was believed to have entered through the upstairs bathroom window."
False. TMPD are still unsure to this day whether the killer entered through the window -- which had no kind of fibres in it -- or the front door -- which had no bloody footprints. It's a puzzle. [The balcony into Rei's room remains another possibility that, for whatever reason, is little discussed. I've mentioned this many times in the WS thread].
"Rather than flee under cover of darkness, the killer then inexplicably lingered at the crime scene well past sunrise."
False. The only known timestamp we have for the killer's actions are 1:18am-1:23am when he logs on to the computer and then logs off. That's literally the only certain timeframe we have. The idea about him staying until the morning arises out of the "second" activation of the computer but this was caused by the grandmother just before discovering the bodies. [As per the Chief's confirmation].
"The killer's DNA turned out to be particularly unusual as he appeared to have European ancestry on his mother's side. Other DNA markers suggested a possible link to either China or Korea."
False. Mitochondrial DNA analysed in the early 2000s simply could not have confirmed one way or another where his mother was from. If she was born in Portugal, that might be a lead. If it's his great grandmother x16 that's born in Portugal, that's worth very little. The TMPD have not published this information on the DNA. There's a reason for that -- it was leaked by an employee of the university where they were seeking a second opinion. Therefore, the killer's DNA suggests ABSOLUTELY NOTHING at this time. [It IS, of course, possible that he is ethnically Korean, we just don't know this for any kind of fact. NB, the TMPD could confirm this if they were able].
"Some have theorized that a person of foreign origin might have less compunction to killing members of a different racial or ethnic group, but unless more facts are known, such a theory can be no more than speculation."
So, some people are racists? This is neither news nor relevant. "Some" have theorised the moon is made of cheese or that Elvis is still alive.
If the killer was economically deprived, perhaps some dispute over money with either Mikio or Yasuko Miyazawa may have moved him to seek revenge. "Among some criminals, the sense of self-victimhood from being economically deprived can inspire homicidal rage," writes Motohashi, who believes police investigators ought to change their focus to probe the money angle.
So, let me get this straight. The murderer is so angry at being poor, he slaughters an entire family... but leaves behind money in their house? [The Chief confirmed he took some money but left a significant amount by the family computer which he used].
"But thieves," Motohashi contends, "prefer to target houses that are easy to break into, not necessarily those that appear wealthy."
Why the hell would a thief target a family house at a time when it was obvious the family would be home? The lights were on and it was the holiday period. This makes zero sense.
"Since the crime experts who analyze the Miyazawa case enjoy above-average economic status themselves, they may not be capable of fully grasping the psychology of a desperately needy person reacting on the spur of moment," Motohashi writes.
With all due respect to Mr. Motohashi, I've spoken personally to some of those involved in the investigation of the case and I don't think their "economic status" in any way affected this case. And frankly, the idea of someone being so poor they end up slaughtering an entire family is among the more stupid theories I've heard.
