Messerstecherei in Kitakyushu: Verdächtiger Hirahara stammte aus einer wohlhabenden Familie und war ein „ruhiger, gewöhnlicher Vater“ … vor über einem Jahr geschieden

In a stabbing incident at a fast food shop in Kokura South Ward, Kitakyushu City, where a 15-year-old student was attacked by a man, local residents noticed signs of trouble with the suspect, Hirahara Masanori (43), who was arrested on charges of attempted murder against the student.

A man in his 70s, a neighbour of Hirahara who lived in a house in Nagao, Kokura South Ward, recalled, “He’d been acting strange for about a year.” Hirahara had been living with relatives but had recently been living alone. Neighbours began to notice an increase in noise complaints, including strange shouting through a megaphone, and over time, Hirahara became more isolated from the community.

Hirahara was raised in the Motoharu Honmachi area of Kokura South Ward. According to multiple sources, his family was wealthy, owning several apartments and plots of land. He attended a private high school in the area, where he played basketball. Several former classmates remembered him as a shy and introverted person.

The owner of a barbershop that Hirahara frequented during his high school and university years (in his 50s) recalled that after graduating high school, Hirahara would regularly visit, saying things like, “I’m doing temp work” or “I’m going to vocational training.” In May 2009, Hirahara came in for a shave, and when asked why, he happily responded, “I’m getting married tomorrow, and my child is about to be born.”

After that, it is believed Hirahara lived with his wife and daughter in an apartment in Nagano, Kokura South Ward. A woman in her 50s, who also lived in the same apartment building, remembered seeing Hirahara playing with his young daughter, who was in elementary school at the time. She described him as “polite, quiet, and an ordinary father” who didn’t say much. Around five years ago, the family suddenly moved out. The woman received a message from Hirahara’s wife apologising for not being able to say goodbye properly. The woman said with a troubled expression, “I wonder what happened after they moved out.”

After his marriage, Hirahara had stopped coming to the barbershop, but he returned in 2020 and mentioned that his child had turned 10. The next time he visited, in January of the following year, he was unresponsive and appeared disoriented, with his eyes out of focus. The shop owner said, “He had completely changed. It was like he was a different person.”

According to investigation sources, Hirahara divorced over a year ago. After seeing footage of him following his arrest, a former classmate remarked, “Everyone was shocked, saying ‘He looks completely different, like a different person.’ There’s anger over the incident, but also sadness,” biting their lip.