4 Youths Arrested over Death of College Student in Hokkaido

   Sapporo, Oct. 29 (Jiji Press)--Japanese police have arrested two 20-year-olds, an 18-year-old and a 17-year-old for an alleged assault that left a 20-year-old college student dead at a park in Ebetsu in the northernmost prefecture of Hokkaido.
   The four arrested are female college students Ama Yagihara and Haoto Kawamura from Ebetsu, as well as the 17-year-old, who said that he is a part-timer from Ebetsu, and the 18-year-old male from the Hokkaido capital of Sapporo, who said that he is a high school student.
   Kawamura is suspected to have conspired with the others to beat up and kill Tomoya Hase between the late hours of Friday and the early hours of Saturday.
   Yagihara was arrested on Sunday on suspicion of causing bodily injury. She was then referred to prosecutors on suspicion of causing injury resulting in death. According to the police, she said that she was dating the victim.
   Hase was found naked and lying on the ground of the park in the early morning of Saturday. A judicial autopsy found that he died from traumatic shock.

(2024/10/29-20:15)