Police in Oita City, Oita Prefecture, have re-arrested a 58-year-old man on suspicion of killing an 18-year-old girl in March.
Police initially arrested Tadafumi Himeno, whose occupation is unknown, on April 12 on suspicion of abandoning the body of the girl on a cliff in a mountainous area of Bungo-Ono City, near the border with Miyazaki Prefecture, Oita Broadcasting Corp reported.
The girl was last seen by her family leaving her home at 11:30 p.m. on March 2. On March 4, the family filed a missing person’s report with police.
Police said that after his arrest on April 12, he admitted to disposing of the girl’s body and made statements hinting that he killed her.
Himeno was quoted by police as saying he and the girl became acquainted on a social media site and that they met several times. He said he killed her at his home, and that it was an impulsive act following a dispute.
Police said Himeno told them he threw the murder weapon (a knife) and the girl’s smartphone into the sea.
Himeno was charged with murder on Saturday.
© Japan Today
