Another Person May Be behind 2nd Man Held over Tochigi Bodies

   Tokyo, April 30 (Jiji Press)--A man who is suspected of ordering the disposal of the bodies of a Tokyo couple has said that he was given instructions by another person, investigative sources said Tuesday.
   The man, Hikaru Sasaki, 28, was arrested Sunday for allegedly damaging the bodies of Ryutaro Takarajima, then 55, and his wife, Sachiko, then 56, which were found burned near a river in the town of Nasu, Tochigi Prefecture, eastern Japan.
   A joint investigation team of Tokyo's Metropolitan Police Department and the Tochigi prefectural police referred Sasaki, whose occupation is unknown, to public prosecutors Tuesday. The police are investigating whether another figure gave orders to Sasaki.
   In the small hours of April 16, on which the bodies were found, Sasaki contacted construction worker Ryoken Hirayama, 25, who has also been arrested for damaging the bodies, at an "izakaya" eatery in Tokyo's Shinagawa Ward, and they left the store together, according to the investigative and other sources.
   Sasaki is suspected to have given Hirayama instructions for disposing of the bodies and preparing necessary equipment while having told police that he did not know the couple. Links between Sasaki and the victims have not been confirmed, according to the sources.

(2024/04/30-13:35)

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