Another Man Arrested for Damaging Bodies Found in Tochigi

   Tokyo, April 29 (Jiji Press)--Japanese police on Monday arrested a 28-year-old man for allegedly damaging the bodies of a couple from Tokyo, which were found burned near a river in the town of Nasu, Tochigi Prefecture, eastern Japan.
   Hikaru Sasaki, whose occupation and address are unknown, was arrested at Naha Airport in Okinawa Prefecture, southernmost Japan, by the joint investigation headquarters of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department and the Tochigi prefectural police department.
   Ryoken Hirayama, 25, arrested earlier this month on the same charges as Sasaki, told the police that he was ordered by a "certain individual" to dispose of the bodies and asked two acquaintances to handle the matter. The investigation headquarters suspects that Sasaki may be the individual who gave the order.
   Sasaki was arrested for allegedly setting the bodies of the couple--Ryutaro Takarajima, then 55, and Sachiko, then 56--on fire in Nasu on April 16. The bodies were found the same day by police officers who arrived at the scene after receiving a fire report.
   Hirayama did not reveal the name of the individual who ordered him to dispose of the bodies. The investigation headquarters figured out from security camera footage that Sasaki was in Okinawa.

(2024/04/29-20:54)

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