A woman’s body was concealed inside the wall of a bar in the town of Hidaka, Hokkaido, for days while the operator continued serving customers, according to local media.
The body was discovered on Saturday inside a roughly one-tatami-mat-size space inside the wall sealed off with wooden boards within the bar in the town’s Tomikawa Kita area, according to local news broadcaster HTB.
The woman, in her 20s, had been reported missing since the evening of Dec. 31 and is believed to have been an acquaintance of the bar’s operator, 49-year-old Toshihiko Matsukura.
Police arrested Matsukura on Saturday on suspicion of abandoning the body inside the premises around Dec. 31. During questioning before the arrest, Matsukura reportedly divulged that he had hidden the woman’s body at the bar, which led police to its discovery.
An autopsy determined that the cause of death was asphyxiation caused by strangulation with a rope-like object, police said to local media, adding that they are investigating the case as a possible homicide. Matsukura was sent to prosecutors on Sunday.
According to the report, people familiar with the matter said the bar was closed for the New Year’s holidays on Dec. 31 but resumed business on the evening of Jan. 2. Investigators believe Matsukura continued operating the establishment while the body remained concealed inside its premises.
Before his arrest, Matsukura had been questioned voluntarily by police about the woman’s disappearance. He told people around him that he was cooperating “to prove my innocence,” acquaintances said.
He also continued reporting to a separate workplace in the town, where he was employed in addition to running the bar, until Friday, investigators told the media.
Authorities are working to determine the circumstances leading to the woman’s death.
AloJapan.com