12th January 2026 – (Hikada) Authorities in Hidaka, Hokkaido, have arrested a 49-year-old man on suspicion of concealing the body of a woman in her 20s within the wall of a bar he manages.
Toshihiko Matsukura was taken into custody on Saturday, accused of hiding the woman’s body behind the wall on the second floor of the establishment around 31st December, as reported by Hokkaido Broadcasting Corp.
The body, fully clothed, was discovered on Saturday morning in a space approximately the size of a tatami mat, concealed with plywood in a storage area. An autopsy revealed that the woman had been strangled to death approximately ten days prior to the discovery.
Matsukura has reportedly admitted to the allegations, stating, “I definitely hid the body inside the wall.” Police identified the deceased as an acquaintance of the suspect. The woman’s grandmother had reported her missing to the police on 1st January after she failed to return home the previous evening.
AloJapan.com