Two young women and two males were arrested over the death of a university student found in a Hokkaido park collapsed and naked with multiple wounds to his face and body, police said Tuesday.
The victim, found by a resident lying on a pathway in the park in Ebetsu in Japan’s northernmost prefecture Saturday morning, was identified as 20-year-old Tomoya Hase. A legal autopsy indicated his cause of death as posttraumatic shock.
Hokkaido police said they have arrested two female university students from Ebetsu, Ama Yagihara and Haoto Kawamura, both 20, and two males, each aged 17 and 18.
Photo shows an area near the site where a naked man was found collapsed on Oct. 26, 2024 at a park in Ebetsu, Hokkaido. (Kyodo)
Yagihara was arrested Sunday for allegedly punching Hase in the face at the park between late Friday and early Saturday. She was referred to prosecutors Monday for allegedly inflicting injuries resulting in Hase’s death, while Kawamura and the two males were arrested Tuesday for the same charge.
Yagihara is believed to have been in a relationship with Hase. The four suspects are friends, though it is unclear whether Hase knew the other three.
Hase’s clothing and belongings have not been found.
Yagihara called a local police station on Saturday while the remaining three turned themselves in on Monday afternoon, according to the police.
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Young man dead after being found naked and bruised in Hokkaido park
AloJapan.com