Japan - Miyazawa family of 4 murdered, Setagaya, Tokyo, 30 Dec 2000

[FacelessPodcast]

The mommas boy theory. If he was wearing his normal clothes, perhaps his mum had ironed his hankies etc. Would there not be more than one DNA match on his clothing? The killers mother and/or family members? If she is doing all of his clothes washing and handling etc? I don't know enough about DNA to know how likely that is.

It's completely possible, I would imagine. Whether the police encountered multiple DNA profiles or not, I have no idea. They've certainly said nothing on that front. And what little they've talked about re: DNA at all has gone into great detail. As we discover in the podcast, they actually formally requested Wikipedia to take down the information on their page about the killer's DNA (as it is misleading) but Wikipedia told them to come back with a court order to show them that it was false information. Obviously the TMPD couldn't do that as technically the stuff about the haplogroups etc is correct. It just doesn't necessarily tell us anything about the killer directly and it leads people down the path of assuming he's mixed race / foreign and so on.

Which may well be the case. But it may not be. And now because of this detail, the prevailing assumption is that the killer was foreign or mixed race. Which, if untrue, only benefits the man who murdered this family.

 

[FacelessPodcast]

This makes it look as if one of the handkerchiefs was pinched at the front due to the knife usage -- but others have said it's because he used one to cover his face.

 

[FacelessPodcast]

A little detail on how the killer used the handkerchief:

 

[FacelessPodcast]

Ah, so the phone access might be the box by the window? That's a great point, I'd always assumed it was somewhere else. I'm almost sure the phone line was cut so if it was by the window, that would make sense that he could do that before he even entered the home.

An update on this for those that haven't listened to the podcast yet -- the Chief confirmed that the phone line was NOT cut. The killer never touched it. So at any time, he ran the risk of somebody picking up the phone and calling for help.

 

[kittythehare]

Was the handkerchief actually black in colour or white?
I know that some Japanese spiritual movements use ironed handkerchiefs for their altars.
Also for Ancestor altars.
Do you happen to know what spiritual practice the family favoured?

I'd also be very interested in knowing their ancestral histories, father's surname as far back as possible?
But knowing Japanese LE these avenues have most likely already have been investigated.

His faeces analysis also struck me as something that might be made as an offering in an ancestor altar.

Were any religious objects belongi ng to the family destroyed in the attack or taken?
Any special jewellery they wore for spiritual reasons, cut or removed?

Did the killer have any small brooches or badges attached to any of the clothing he left behind?

Where is the nearest dojo?
Where was the family dojo?

I suggest you check out father's family ancestry and investigate in as far as possible any significant events, police charges, any accusations going back for as long as possible through his lineage.

The mother's is less significant but might be worth a look too.

Killer is likely someone who saw a role for himself as settler of perceived or real karmic debt.

That is not his role but that is his perception.
Revenge is motive.
Highly likely victims were totally unaware of whatever it is he ascribed to them, or their ancestors, real or imaginary.

His 'spiritual' beliefs and practices would be key here..

i'm surprised the crime scene was as 'messy' as it sounds. Suggests he was not operating on a high spiritual level..

I see the ice cream as part of his act, reward following accomplishment but his choice of barley drink could suggest either diabetes on the mundane or protein for strength to accomplish the act.

It all seems to be occult..
and he has disappeared without a trace.

Did he leave underwear and was it fresh and clean, apart from blood he accumulated during the act?

 

[FacelessPodcast]

Thanks for your thoughts, Kitty. A lot to unpack here but doing my best:

*There were TWO black handkerchiefs, both of them black, and both mass-produced. From Muji, I think.

*No idea what religion the Miyazawa family followed. Mikio's mother I think is Buddhist but that's all I know.

*As for the Miyazawa surname, I have no idea how far back this goes but Japanese surnames essentially 'begin' in 1875 when the Meiji government passes a law requiring all Japanese to register one.

*As far as I know, nothing was taken from the home beyond money.

*I'm not sure what you mean by dojo--is this not a hall for the practice of martial arts?

*As you know, I'm absolutely certain the TMPD -given they say they have put over 280,000 personnel on this case- will have looked into any accusations or legal problems in the past of all those involved.

*I disagree that the mother's background is any more or less important than Mikio's -- nobody knows at this point.

*At this stage, what the killer saw himself as can unfortunately only speculated. Same goes for his motive. If any of his motives or actions had some kind of religious significance then the police have said nothing about that. Given it's been 22 years and they have made no arrests, I fail to see what they would gain from holding that back. Ergo, there is no religious or occult angle here unless we're missing something.

*That said, 100 days after the murders, a religious icon -a small jizo statute- was left near the house. Whether or not this is connected to the murders, nobody knows. Picture attached.

*Not sure what operating on a 'high spiritual level' would mean but we do know that he wasn't drunk or under the influence of drugs. That's according to the TMPD.

*The ice cream could well be connected to diabetes or some kind of medical condition. Then again, we know that murderers are known to feel hungry after their crimes. The killer also ate melon while in the house. As for the barley tea, it's *extremely* common in Japan and is often provided free of charge in restaurants and eateries in the way water is in many other countries.

*He did not leave his underwear or his trousers. Only the clothes on the upper half of his body. We can conclude, therefore, that his shoe size did not match Mikio's (the killer's was either a size 28.5 or 29)

 

[kittythehare]

Thanks for your thoughts, Kitty. A lot to unpack here but doing my best:

*There were TWO black handkerchiefs, both of them black, and both mass-produced. From Muji, I think.

*No idea what religion the Miyazawa family followed. Mikio's mother I think is Buddhist but that's all I know.

*As for the Miyazawa surname, I have no idea how far back this goes but Japanese surnames essentially 'begin' in 1875 when the Meiji government passes a law requiring all Japanese to register one.

*As far as I know, nothing was taken from the home beyond money.

*I'm not sure what you mean by dojo--is this not a hall for the practice of martial arts?

*As you know, I'm absolutely certain the TMPD -given they say they have put over 280,000 personnel on this case- will have looked into any accusations or legal problems in the past of all those involved.

*I disagree that the mother's background is any more or less important than Mikio's -- nobody knows at this point.

*At this stage, what the killer saw himself as can unfortunately only speculated. Same goes for his motive. If any of his motives or actions had some kind of religious significance then the police have said nothing about that. Given it's been 22 years and they have made no arrests, I fail to see what they would gain from holding that back. Ergo, there is no religious or occult angle here unless we're missing something.

*That said, 100 days after the murders, a religious icon -a small jizo statute- was left near the house. Whether or not this is connected to the murders, nobody knows. Picture attached.

*Not sure what operating on a 'high spiritual level' would mean but we do know that he wasn't drunk or under the influence of drugs. That's according to the TMPD.

*The ice cream could well be connected to diabetes or some kind of medical condition. Then again, we know that murderers are known to feel hungry after their crimes. The killer also ate melon while in the house. As for the barley tea, it's *extremely* common in Japan and is often provided free of charge in restaurants and eateries in the way water is in many other countries.

*He did not leave his underwear or his trousers. Only the clothes on the upper half of his body. We can conclude, therefore, that his shoe size did not match Mikio's (the killer's was either a size 28.5 or 29)

I studied a type of Japanese spirituality for a number of years and what I just gave you was a spiritual perspective. Sorry if I was unclear.
However I suggest you study Shintoism or perhaps discuss these perspectives with your Japanese contacts.
A dojo is any kind of a prayer temple.

You may solve it that way.

事件がわかる：世田谷一家殺害事件 | 毎日新聞

　20世紀最後の日に起きた世田谷一家殺害事件では、東京都世田谷区の会社員宅で夫婦と幼い子ども2人が殺害された。指紋など犯人の手がかりが多くありながら未解決で、今も謎を残す。1990年代後半から2000年代前半の治安悪化を象徴する事件とされ、これ以降、都市部を中心に各地で防犯カメラの設置が進んだ。

mainichi.jp

Here's a starting point for Shintoism Shinto of Japan — Encyclopedia of Japan

Good luck.

 

[FacelessPodcast]

Thanks, @kittythehare! Very interesting.

This article you link to has some fascinating details:

A relative of the first discoverer, who lived next door to Mr. Miyazawa's house, said several days after the outbreak, "At around 10:00 pm on December 30, the chime of the house next door (Mr. Miyazawa) rang. Who came? I couldn't see it, but I wondered what it was at this hour," he explained to investigators.

If this testimony is true, there is a high possibility that someone in the Miyazawa family invited the criminal in. However, several months after the incident, when investigators asked the relative about what happened on the night of the 30th, the relative replied, "It was a misunderstanding."

Bearing in mind that Japanese/English google translation often gets genders wrong -- either way, that's an incredible detail. The relatives next door are saying they heard someone approach the front door around the time of the murders. But they later rectify saying "it was a misunderstanding." I wonder...

Miyazawa's work documents and papers from Yasuko's cram school on the first floor were cut up with scissors and thrown into the water-filled bathtub on the mezzanine floor.

We knew the killer had tossed these documents into the bathtub. What I've never seen before is the detail about them being "cut up with scissors". Can any Japanese speakers confirm this is right? If so, that's both strange and compelling.

Since the perpetrators are acting in a way that is unthinkable under conventional common sense, there was an opinion within the investigation headquarters that the investigation should take into account foreigners with different cultures and nationalities

The typical racist garbage on the table here. As if Kid A didn't decapitate a fellow Japanese school pupil a few years before, etc etc. Where there are people, there is violence -- irrespective of what their passport says.

In 2019, it was revealed that the way the handkerchief, believed to be wrapped around the handle of the murder weapon, was wrapped was similar to that used in the northern Philippines. It is believed that a notch was made in the middle and a handle was inserted into the blade, a method used by soldiers in the northern Philippines when using knives. The investigative headquarters interviewed more than 100 Filipinos living in Tokyo about the possibility that the knife was hand-crafted to prevent it from slipping with blood.

Now this is interesting as I've also read the TMPD considered this technique to be associated with a Chinese fish factory. Either way, it's in insight into the lengths (or grasping at straws?) detectives went to.

 

[Captain Hastings]

The 10pm timing is interesting as that is when a passerby claimed to have heard an argument taking place inside the house. I'm not sure how credible or not the witness is (nor the others that saw a man around the house that night) but it ties in with someone calling round at that time. It would also explain how the killer gained entry to the property. The argument apparently sounded like a couple arguing.

 

[Captain Hastings]

The sand in the bag left by the killer, sand from Edwards air base in California. Is it not a possibility that the bag was bought by someone serving in Japan. They had previously served at Edwards and used the bag, at some point during their Japan posting, to store items which had residual Edwards sand left on them. They sell/lose/give away the bag before leaving Japan. The killer picks it up from somewhere and it still contains a few grains of that Edwards sand?

I wonder if any US servicemen who were stationed in Japan around that time would recognise owning such a bag if it was brought to greater attention?

 

[Lexiintoronto]

eBay was founded in 1995. On a whim I searched for sand from around the world and there are many listings: Labeled Sand Samples from Around the World Cruises | eBay

…I know it’s a stretch and it’s more likely the fanny pack travelled with its owner to the base area. But maybe it was bought as a gift because the location has meaning to either the killer or someone in his family? (I usually ask for sand or a small rock when someone asks me if I want a gift from their trips.)

eta: I posted this before reading this message above mine which suggested something similar—sorry(!) I was looking on eBay to see if there were souvenirs from the area, including sand. I was also checking for the items the killer left behind.

 

[dotr]

The sand in the bag left by the killer, sand from Edwards air base in California. Is it not a possibility that the bag was bought by someone serving in Japan. They had previously served at Edwards and used the bag, at some point during their Japan posting, to store items which had residual Edwards sand left on them. They sell/lose/give away the bag before leaving Japan. The killer picks it up from somewhere and it still contains a few grains of that Edwards sand?

I wonder if any US servicemen who were stationed in Japan around that time would recognise owning such a bag if it was brought to greater attention?

Interesting point about sand souvenirs, i could imagine somebody wanting a little token from one of these occasions.. rbbm, imo.
''What is Edwards Air Force Base famous for?''

Notable occurrences at Edwards include Chuck Yeager's flight that broke the sound barrier in the Bell X-1, test flights of the North American X-15, the first landings of the Space Shuttle, and the 1986 around-the-world flight of the Rutan Voyager.

Edwards Air Force Base - Wikipedia​

 

[Lexiintoronto]

Interesting point about sand souvenirs, i could imagine somebody wanting a little token from one of these occasions.. rbbm, imo.
''What is Edwards Air Force Base famous for?''

Notable occurrences at Edwards include Chuck Yeager's flight that broke the sound barrier in the Bell X-1, test flights of the North American X-15, the first landings of the Space Shuttle, and the 1986 around-the-world flight of the Rutan Voyager.

Edwards Air Force Base - Wikipedia​

Someone interested in space travel or flying? He seemed to like skateboarding, so maybe he was adventurous? I dislike giving him positive attributes, but he must have had some normal interests and aspirations that may identify him.

 

[Captain Hastings]

The more I look at the bathroom window entrance route the more I doubt this as a route of entry. First off the noise of someone scrambling up the side of the house, climbing on top of the heater, surely this would be heard in one of the two houses? You have the acrobatics required to pull yourself up the fence and onto the heater. The killer would then have to have stretched over and cut the window mesh, presumably with his kitchen knife, (a smooth knife totally unsuitable for cutting mesh) which he would need to pull out of his bag whilst balancing on the heater. Assuming he got this far, unheard and unseen, he would need to strech over and drag himself in through the window, probably head and arms first and end up in the Miyazawas bath. All quietly enough to not alert anyone, despite the fact Mikio was still awake at this point. And without leaving any clear evidence such as fibre traces. I mean, is this even possible? Looking at the photos of the police trying to replicate this its highly questionable.


Has anyone been to the house in person? If so, is it as difficult as it would appear from the photos?

 

[Lexiintoronto]

The more I look at the bathroom window entrance route the more I doubt this as a route of entry. First off the noise of someone scrambling up the side of the house, climbing on top of the heater, surely this would be heard in one of the two houses? You have the acrobatics required to pull yourself up the fence and onto the heater. The killer would then have to have stretched over and cut the window mesh, presumably with his kitchen knife, (a smooth knife totally unsuitable for cutting mesh) which he would need to pull out of his bag whilst balancing on the heater. Assuming he got this far, unheard and unseen, he would need to strech over and drag himself in through the window, probably head and arms first and end up in the Miyazawas bath. All quietly enough to not alert anyone, despite the fact Mikio was still awake at this point. And without leaving any clear evidence such as fibre traces. I mean, is this even possible? Looking at the photos of the police trying to replicate this its highly questionable.


Has anyone been to the house in person? If so, is it as difficult as it would appear from the photos?

Author Nic of the Faceless podcast has been to the home and the topic is part of one episode. He touches on the topic here a few times: Search results for query: window

 

[Captain Hastings]

I've listened to the podcast and I believe they state on it that they thought it was unlikely you could do it, I was just wondering if anyone else had first hand experience of seeing the house and could confirm that.

My opinion is the killer probably entered via the front door. I also wonder if it's correct the Mikio was attacked coming up the stairs by the killer on the second floor and not attacked from behind as he went up the stairs, explaining the knife wounds he sustained. Did anyone ever find a link to the autopsy reports mentioned earlier in the thread?

 

[Captain Hastings]

Just to add, if the killer did gain entry through the front door, it completely changes how we look at the case. The generally accepted chain of events could not be how the crime played out. You would have the question of how the killer gained access through the front door in the first place and you also have the killing of Rei, the current explanation of which would no longer fit with a killer starting at ground level.

 

[Captain Hastings]

There doesn't appear to be much new info and without speaking Japanese it's very hard to look into this case, beyond what's already out there in English. As such, there's not much else I can add at this point beyond speculation.

We all know the general theory of the killings, the perpetrator came in through the window, killed Rei first, then attacked Mikio etc. However I think the following theory is just as valid -

The killer is young and dressed like a skater to the point a non skater wouldn't notice the difference. He approaches the Miyazawa house, secluded in the middle of the park, and rings the doorbell. Mikio answers and the killer tells him a story in order to gain entry. Remember, he's very young, he's on his own, it's late at night and he's a skater looking kid in a skate park with your house being the closest to said park. None of this would scream danger. He could say he was lost, or his parents hadn't arrived to pick him up, he was Ill and needed a doctor, he was worried someone was following him etc. There are plenty of options. I see no reason why Mikio would not let him into the house in such a scenario. This also explains the reports by the grandmother next door that the Miyazawa doorbell sounded around 10:30pm. Once inside the house it's possible he stayed for a while before attacking (we will come back to this a bit later) it's also possible he attacked fairly soon after entry. Either way, Mikio heads for the stairs, perhaps to show the youth the phone to 'ring for help', perhaps he was just going to the toilet, perhaps he went to get something to drink for them both whilst they 'waited', it's hard to say. But in any event, the killer follows Mikio up the stairs and attacks him near the top. This explains the knife wounds on the thighs and buttocks and the fact the wounds were in an upward direction. If you were stood on the stairs behind someone the back of the thighs and the buttocks would be the main target area available to strike. The killer then proceeds to attack Yasuko and Niina. Perhaps they were asleep, perhaps Yasuko was woken by the person and witnessed/heard what had happened to Mikio. Again, it's impossible to say, but if you did know a killer was on the second floor landing and you were in the loft, there would be nowhere to run, perhaps pretending to be asleep was the only option. Either way, they are murdered. Once the killings have taken place he stays in order to stem the blood flow to his wound and clean himself up. You can't be wandering around covered in blood with a gaping wound, it's a bit obvious. So he stems the blood flow (using the frozen ice cream and sanitary pads) then changes his shirt and jacket, taking some clean ones from Mikio. It would also fit that he would want to clean his shoes. Ice white trainers that are dripping with blood is a bit of a giveaway and you don't want to leave a trail of evidence once you leave the house. This explains why there was no blood evidence of the killer leaving. The bathroom screen is cut, perhaps he is thinking of using this as an escape route, perhaps he just wants to make it look like a robbery gone wrong. Rifling through the draws but not taking anything, stealing money, but not all of it, would certainly fit with that. This brings us to Rei. Two possibilities in the above scenario. First - Rei sleeps through the attacks, the killer becomes aware he is in the house, but is perhaps unsure of what to do. The position of the bloodied footprints in the bedroom are at an angle where you would be stood looking at the bed from about the doorway. Does he leave Rei or does he kill him? Once cleaned up either Rei wakes or the killer decides not to leave anyone alive and strangles him. He chooses this method as he doesn't want to be covered in blood again just after cleaning and changing clothes from the first attacks. Second - this comes back to what I said before about being unsure how long the killer was inside before launching the attack. It's possible, but I think less likely than option one, that he was invited upstairs by Mikio and kills Rei first then turns to the others. As I say, I think the first scenario is more likely. The killer then leaves the property.

Now, obviously that is just pure speculation, theres a lot of 'perhaps' in that and I'm wary to try and avoid getting into CSI/murder mystery territory. I'm not saying this is what happened. It's just a scenario that could have. But it's an example of an alternative. I just wonder if some of the assumptions around the case are part of the reason it hasn't been solved.

 

[Frankie Hellis]

Just to add, if the killer did gain entry through the front door, it completely changes how we look at the case. The generally accepted chain of events could not be how the crime played out. You would have the question of how the killer gained access through the front door in the first place and you also have the killing of Rei, the current explanation of which would no longer fit with a killer starting at ground level.

The window as the point of entry makes the most sense in light of Rei and Dad’s final locations. Not that it couldn’t have happened another way, but I think there is a good amount of weight behind that theory because of where they were found and how Rei in particular was killed.

I sure wish they would just permit ancestral dNA to be used to attempt to solve this case, although AIUI it is difficult because most Japanese do not voluntarily upload their dNA to any database anyway.

 

[lonewanderer]

Is this the case where Korean clothes where found, as well as a backpack with sand from a near a military base in California?

If this is that case, I think the culprit was a United States military dependant. Most likely a teenage male.