Elusive killer-arsonist in Japan exposed as debt-laden cop

In June 2010, a CD-ROM was delivered to Shukan Bunshun, a Japanese weekly magazine, containing a statement by an anonymous man claiming responsibility for the murder-arson of an elderly couple of Korean descent in Toyama two months before.

The sender also included floor drawings showing the location and direction of the bodies, something only police knew. He then wrote that his culpability could be verified if the drawings were shown to police.

The man asked the magazine to purchase the exclusive story of the incident, offering to write how he had to “release his explosive rage” over social polarization, saying, “My life has been under strained circumstances. I need money for things that I need to accomplish.”

He suggested that he was also of Korean descent, saying he would write nothing about his background, family or ethnicity.

After checking with police, the magazine grew certain that the sender was the culprit. It rejected the man`s demand for money but did not surrender the CD-ROM to police to protect the source.

Police failed to find a clue about the case even after mobilizing 40,000 officers over 30 months until November last year. Finally, a court issued a warrant to allow police to seize the CD-ROM from the magazine.

Having confirmed the sender`s name by analyzing the CD-ROM, police were shocked to find that the man in question was an assistant police inspector in Toyama Prefecture who had won 14 commendations for public service.

The investigation found that he was heavily in debt because of a gambling habit, as well as being a friend of the victims for 34 years.

Japanese media put the incident on their society news pages Thursday. The magazine carried the full text of the CD statement and progress in the case, while explaining why it refused to turn over the CD to police.

bae2150@donga.com