Police in Ube, Yamaguchi Prefecture, have arrested a 61-year-old man on suspicion of killing a 74-year-old acquaintance.
The arrest warrant alleges that in late January, Misao Ohara killed Toshio Furuya at his home, by striking him on the head with one or more blunt objects.
Furuya was found dead on Feb 9 by a welfare employee of the Ube City Hall who had come to check up on him. He was lying face-up on a tatami mat, covered with a futon.
Police said an autopsy revealed the cause of death to be hypothermia due to hypovolemic shock.
In March, police arrested Ohara on suspicion of theft for withdrawing cash using someone else’s ATM card. Regarding the connection between the two cases, police declined to comment.
Police quoted Ohara as saying, “I don’t know anything about it. I have nothing to say.”
The two victims are believed to have known each other, and several blunt objects were recovered from the scene, some of which had bloodstains on them.
© Japan Today
