MANILA–Two Japanese men shot to death in the Philippines’ capital here were targeted by a Japanese acquaintance who staged an apparent robbery through two local hires, police said on Aug. 19.
According to local authorities, the suspects are Filipino brothers aged 62 and 50, living in Pampanga province near Manila.
On Aug. 19, the suspects’ lawyer responded to media inquiries, saying that both suspects were not involved in the crime.
In a news conference held the same day, a senior Manila police officer gave an update on the investigation alongside the mayor of Manila.
According to the officer, security camera footage revealed that the suspects had scoped out the crime scene in advance.
In addition, investigations into their personal connections and information collected through interviews pointed to the involvement of a Japanese national residing in Japan who had a financial conflict with the victims.
The officer said the suspects were asked to commit the slayings in exchange for 9 million pesos (23.2 million yen, or $157,000) and had already received a down payment of 10,000 pesos.
On the evening of Aug. 15, the two Japanese tourists, aged 41 and 53, were shot on the street in the Malate district of Manila.
A man approached the victims immediately after they got out of a taxi, opened fire, grabbed their belongings and fled on a motorcycle. Both victims died at the scene.
On Aug. 18, the police detained the two suspects.
Meanwhile, the suspects’ lawyer denied their involvement during an interview with the media.
As for the younger brother, who is suspected of carrying out the shooting, the lawyer said that he was not in Manila at the time and was not at the scene.
The older brother, who works as a tour guide, had been accompanying the two Japanese men on the day of the incident but the lawyer said that he was not involved in the crime.
Although investigators initially began investigating the case as a murder robbery, they now believe the victims may have been summarily shot after exiting the taxi without any demand for their valuables based on security camera footage and eyewitness accounts.
Authorities are proceeding with the investigation, considering charges of murder and theft.
(Johnna Giolagon also contributed to this article.)
AloJapan.com