Asahiyama Zoo in Asahikawa, Hokkaido, had been scheduled to reopen on Wednesday following a three-week maintenance closure. However, the popular attraction, one of the region’s best-known tourist draws, will now remain shut until at least May 1, after a male employee admitted to using the zoo’s incinerator to dispose of his wife’s remains.
March Disappearance Prompts Police Investigation
According to investigators, an associate alerted police last Thursday after losing contact with the employee’s wife in late March. Japanese media said the woman, who was in her 30s, had sent messages to friends saying she was afraid, claiming her husband had threatened her. The man later confessed, telling police he burned her body for several hours.
Police subsequently began an on-site investigation of the incinerator on Friday and searched the suspect’s home on Sunday, seizing three vehicles, including a zoo car they believe may have been used to transport the body. Investigators are continuing to examine the incinerator facility and surrounding grounds as they work to determine the full circumstances of the case.
At a press conference on Tuesday, Asahikawa Mayor Hirosuke Imazu apologized for the zoo’s closure. “No one could have predicted it,” he said. “I am overcome with immense anxiety, and I am facing a crisis of unprecedented magnitude. We are making preparations to welcome you, so we hope that as many people as possible will come to the park.”
About Asahiyama Zoo
Opened in 1967, Asahiyama Zoo is known for its “behavioral displays,” designed to showcase animals in natural, active environments. Highlights include the penguin pool, featuring a 360-degree panoramic tank and a glass underwater tunnel, as well as the Polar Bear house, where visitors can view polar bears diving and swimming.
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Updated On April 30, 2026
AloJapan.com