Die tragischen Folgen des konkreten Mordes an einer Highschool-Schülerin in Ayase: Das Schicksal von Täter B und das Erbe der Jugendkriminalität (Teil 1)
The Asahikawa High School Girl Murder Case, the Ebetsu University Student Group Assault Death Case… Last Year, Hokkaido Experienced a Surge in Heinous Crimes Committed by Minors and Young People. In the 1980s, Juvenile Criminal Offenses Reached a Post-War Peak, and the 1989 Tokyo Ayase High School Girl Concrete Murder Case is Often Referred to as “The Worst Juvenile Crime in History.”
It has recently come to light that B (17 at the time), one of the primary perpetrators of the crime, died alone three years ago. Through exclusive interviews with the offenders, their families, and other involved parties, as well as court and investigation records from 2000 onwards, this report looks into the lesser-known “aftermath” of the offenders, while reflecting on juvenile rehabilitation and their treatment in society. (This is the first in a three-part series; titles and ages refer to the time of investigation.)
B’s Brother-in-Law Reveals: “B Has Died”
In the summer of 2024, I received an unexpected phone call from someone I hadn’t spoken to in a while. At the end of the conversation, he shared an astonishing fact. I was left in complete shock. B, who was in his 50s, the same age as me, had passed away. His death was too soon. B had been one of the perpetrators in a case that shook Japan.
The 1989 “Ayase High School Girl Concrete Murder Case”
In March 1989, a woman’s body encased in concrete was discovered in an empty lot in Koto Ward, Tokyo. The victim was a 17-year-old high school girl from Misato City, Saitama Prefecture.
The crime involved seven boys aged between 16 and 18: A (18), the ringleader; B (17), the second-in-command; C (16), whose home became the site of the confinement; and D (17), the supervisor.
A abducted an unsuspecting high school girl for the purpose of rape and held her captive for 41 days in a room at C’s home in Ayase, Adachi Ward. The girl was subjected to repeated rape, physical assaults (including being punched and burned with a lighter), and starvation. After torturing her for weeks, A, B, C, and D murdered the girl and disposed of her body in a barrel.
B’s Brother-in-Law Talks About Their Relationship
“I’ll tell you everything I know,” B’s brother-in-law said during our interview. We first met when B reoffended after his release in 2004 (details to follow in the next part). Upon hearing his confession, I decided to revisit the people involved in the case.
B’s Sentence: 5 to 10 Years
B, born 11 May 1971, had a difficult childhood. His father left the family to live with another woman, forcing his mother to work long hours to support B and his sibling. B has said that he never experienced the image of a “complete family” sitting together at the dinner table. After an injury ended his ability to participate in sports, his life took a downturn. His grades fell, and he was bullied at his private high school due to his towering height of 180 cm. Eventually, he dropped out. Around the same time, he began to exhibit violent behaviour towards his mother.
B’s life path grew darker when he started associating with C and A, members of a delinquent group involved in crimes such as theft and abductions. By November 1988, B had joined A and C in their heinous crime, which ultimately led to the infamous Ayase murder case.
B’s Life After Prison and His Return to Crime
After serving his sentence, B took a job in the IT sector and even married in 2000. However, he divorced after a few years and returned to live with his mother. His life began to spiral out of control. Financial issues led him to associate with gangsters through his mother’s connections.
B’s downward spiral continued, and ultimately, he was found dead in a toilet in 2022, at the age of 51. People close to him suggested that his death could have been an accident related to medication he was taking.
The Legacy of the Crime and B’s Family
B’s brother-in-law showed no sympathy for him during the interview, stating, “No one could ever forgive B for what he did. I can’t even accept that he lived for 51 years.”
The article continues to explore the crime scene, B’s mental state, his family’s role, and the broader societal implications surrounding his life and death.
MaximusM50 on
■ B: Sentenced to 5 to 10 Years
“I’ll tell you everything I know.”
About 20 years after our last meeting, I reunited with B’s brother-in-law in Tokyo. He was still quiet, carefully selecting his words, just like before. The brother-in-law began by recalling when he first met B.
Journalist: “What was your first impression of him?”
Brother-in-law: “I know this sounds odd, but he gave me a creepy feeling. I only had bad impressions of him.”
On August 4, 1999, B was released from prison after serving his full sentence. Two days later, the brother-in-law met him for the first time.
Journalist: “What was B’s attitude and expression like when you first saw him?”
Brother-in-law: “He acted like he was above everyone else, with this ‘I’m number one’ attitude.”
B’s Early Life and Path to Crime
B was born on May 11, 1971. His father left the family when he took up with a mistress, and his mother had to work to support her two young children. B later recalled, “I don’t remember the family ever sitting down together at the dinner table.” During primary school, he focused on baseball, and in high school, he was involved in athletics. He didn’t get into trouble, but everything changed after he broke his ankle skiing. Unable to do the sports he loved, his life took a downward turn. His grades began to slip, and though he moved to a private high school, he became the target of bullying because of his 180cm height. Eventually, he dropped out of school, and during this period, he started being violent towards his mother.
B began spending time at C’s house and met A, a member of a delinquent group. Initially, B kept his distance from A, feeling like he was being used. However, after B got involved in a dispute with a local gang and sought help from A, he started hanging out with him, which led to an increase in his delinquent behaviour.
At this point, A’s group was involved in various crimes, including car thefts and kidnapping women to assault. B joined in, and on November 25, 1988, A and C attacked a high school girl cycling home. They kidnapped her and held her captive at C’s home, sparking a brutal chain of events.
The Court Case
During the trial, four of the youths received prison sentences. A received the heaviest sentence, 20 years. B was sentenced to 5 to 10 years, C got 5 to 9 years, and D was given 5 to 7 years, all receiving indeterminate sentences (final verdict). In his final statement, B tearfully said:
B: “I can’t even begin to understand how much pain and suffering the victim went through. No matter how many times I apologise, I’ll never be able to make up for it. I want to spend the rest of my life atoning for what I did.”
This version keeps the narrative style intact while adjusting for Australian English nuances. Let me know if you’d like any further changes!
MaximusM50 on
■ Marriage to a Chinese Woman, but Divorce within a Few Years
After being released from prison in 1999, B found a job through one of his lawyers, working in a computer-related field as a contractor. In December 2000, he married a Chinese woman seven years his junior and moved to Chiba. She had worked in a Kabukicho nightclub and met B when he was a customer there. However, they divorced after a few years, and B returned to live with his mother in Saitama. Once again, B’s life began to spiral out of control. He had a falling out at work, resulting in him quitting his job. In an attempt to recover unpaid wages, he started associating with a gang boss through one of his mother’s acquaintances.
B’s brother-in-law described B’s situation at the time:
Brother-in-law: “After he quit his job, he started drifting. He wasn’t working anymore and began asking his mother for money.”
B bought a second-hand luxury sedan for around 2 million yen.
Brother-in-law: “After being released, he thought he could start his life from scratch. He could take out loans and do whatever he wanted. He started living a bit excessively, buying a high-end car on loan, which seemed a bit much. He had this ‘I’m the best’ attitude.”
Revisiting the Past: B’s Father
In the autumn of 2024, I visited B’s father, who lived in public housing in Tokyo. Despite the sudden visit, he welcomed me into his living room and spoke for an hour and a half about the past. After leaving the family, B’s father remarried and had two more children. B, after his release, would occasionally visit his father, who had already started a new family, driving his luxury sedan.
Father: “He came here a few times in his car.”
Journalist: “What did he come for?”
Father: “He didn’t really have any business with me. But according to my wife, he was violent towards his children. I didn’t see it myself.”
After his release, what did B expect from his father, who had abandoned him?
Psychological Evaluation by Dr. Akira Fukushima
Dr. Akira Fukushima, who was asked by the Tokyo District Court to perform a psychological evaluation of B, provided the following analysis:
Dr. Akira Fukushima: “From a young age, B was a child who observed others’ reactions, someone with dualities in his personality. He would use violence to control other children and assert his existence in a self-centred manner. However, despite having strong desires for affection from his father and being pampered by his mother, these needs were never fulfilled. This left deep emotional scars, leading him to abandon these emotional needs and self-esteem. Instead, he adopted mechanisms of repression, splitting, and distancing to cope, resulting in a neurotic personality structure. His mental state was highly twisted.”
[From the Mental Health Report dated February 9, 1990]
MaximusM50 on
■ His Final Moments in the Bathroom…
After his release, B’s mother treated him with great caution, as though he were a delicate object. According to her, after B’s divorce, she suggested, “Why don’t you get married, have kids, and live a normal life?” to which he replied, “It would be impossible, I’d just be known as the child of that incident.” His father also “never spoke about prison” to him. The family never addressed the incident together.
Near the location where the high school girl was held captive, a park. Photo taken November of last year.
In May 2004, B committed another crime. He was indicted for the crime of kidnapping and injuring an acquaintance. In March the following year, he was sentenced to four years in prison by the Tokyo District Court.
In 2009, after serving his sentence at Fuchu Prison, B was released and began living alone in an apartment in Saitama Prefecture. It was a place that accepted individuals who had difficulty renting, such as recipients of public assistance and former prisoners. B didn’t work and relied on welfare. He spent his days alone, holed up in his room.
B’s final moments were lonely.
“When his mother brought him his usual lunch, he was found collapsed in the toilet. They called an ambulance, but he wasn’t breathing.”
Few people knew about B’s final moments. A woman who had supported B and his mother for years said, “Please don’t report this,” while tearfully recounting B’s death.
“It was an accident. He was on medication to suppress his emotions, and he became dizzy and collapsed in the toilet. His head got wedged between the toilet and the tank, and he couldn’t get free. He vomited and died. It was a sad way to go. He was normally a bright, quiet, and kind person.”
B passed away on July 16, 2022, at the age of 51.
During the interview, B’s brother-in-law never expressed any pity or sympathy for him. He firmly stated that B’s crimes were unforgivable, and he concluded:
“Everyone has their own way of living, but after everything B did, I don’t think anyone could forgive him. Just the fact that he lived for 51 years, to me, is unforgivable.”
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https://newsdig.tbs.co.jp/articles/-/1627718?page=4
The Asahikawa High School Girl Murder Case, the Ebetsu University Student Group Assault Death Case… Last Year, Hokkaido Experienced a Surge in Heinous Crimes Committed by Minors and Young People. In the 1980s, Juvenile Criminal Offenses Reached a Post-War Peak, and the 1989 Tokyo Ayase High School Girl Concrete Murder Case is Often Referred to as “The Worst Juvenile Crime in History.”
It has recently come to light that B (17 at the time), one of the primary perpetrators of the crime, died alone three years ago. Through exclusive interviews with the offenders, their families, and other involved parties, as well as court and investigation records from 2000 onwards, this report looks into the lesser-known “aftermath” of the offenders, while reflecting on juvenile rehabilitation and their treatment in society. (This is the first in a three-part series; titles and ages refer to the time of investigation.)
B’s Brother-in-Law Reveals: “B Has Died”
In the summer of 2024, I received an unexpected phone call from someone I hadn’t spoken to in a while. At the end of the conversation, he shared an astonishing fact. I was left in complete shock. B, who was in his 50s, the same age as me, had passed away. His death was too soon. B had been one of the perpetrators in a case that shook Japan.
The 1989 “Ayase High School Girl Concrete Murder Case”
In March 1989, a woman’s body encased in concrete was discovered in an empty lot in Koto Ward, Tokyo. The victim was a 17-year-old high school girl from Misato City, Saitama Prefecture.
The crime involved seven boys aged between 16 and 18: A (18), the ringleader; B (17), the second-in-command; C (16), whose home became the site of the confinement; and D (17), the supervisor.
A abducted an unsuspecting high school girl for the purpose of rape and held her captive for 41 days in a room at C’s home in Ayase, Adachi Ward. The girl was subjected to repeated rape, physical assaults (including being punched and burned with a lighter), and starvation. After torturing her for weeks, A, B, C, and D murdered the girl and disposed of her body in a barrel.
B’s Brother-in-Law Talks About Their Relationship
“I’ll tell you everything I know,” B’s brother-in-law said during our interview. We first met when B reoffended after his release in 2004 (details to follow in the next part). Upon hearing his confession, I decided to revisit the people involved in the case.
B’s Sentence: 5 to 10 Years
B, born 11 May 1971, had a difficult childhood. His father left the family to live with another woman, forcing his mother to work long hours to support B and his sibling. B has said that he never experienced the image of a “complete family” sitting together at the dinner table. After an injury ended his ability to participate in sports, his life took a downturn. His grades fell, and he was bullied at his private high school due to his towering height of 180 cm. Eventually, he dropped out. Around the same time, he began to exhibit violent behaviour towards his mother.
B’s life path grew darker when he started associating with C and A, members of a delinquent group involved in crimes such as theft and abductions. By November 1988, B had joined A and C in their heinous crime, which ultimately led to the infamous Ayase murder case.
B’s Life After Prison and His Return to Crime
After serving his sentence, B took a job in the IT sector and even married in 2000. However, he divorced after a few years and returned to live with his mother. His life began to spiral out of control. Financial issues led him to associate with gangsters through his mother’s connections.
B’s downward spiral continued, and ultimately, he was found dead in a toilet in 2022, at the age of 51. People close to him suggested that his death could have been an accident related to medication he was taking.
The Legacy of the Crime and B’s Family
B’s brother-in-law showed no sympathy for him during the interview, stating, “No one could ever forgive B for what he did. I can’t even accept that he lived for 51 years.”
The article continues to explore the crime scene, B’s mental state, his family’s role, and the broader societal implications surrounding his life and death.
■ B: Sentenced to 5 to 10 Years
“I’ll tell you everything I know.”
About 20 years after our last meeting, I reunited with B’s brother-in-law in Tokyo. He was still quiet, carefully selecting his words, just like before. The brother-in-law began by recalling when he first met B.
Journalist: “What was your first impression of him?”
Brother-in-law: “I know this sounds odd, but he gave me a creepy feeling. I only had bad impressions of him.”
On August 4, 1999, B was released from prison after serving his full sentence. Two days later, the brother-in-law met him for the first time.
Journalist: “What was B’s attitude and expression like when you first saw him?”
Brother-in-law: “He acted like he was above everyone else, with this ‘I’m number one’ attitude.”
B’s Early Life and Path to Crime
B was born on May 11, 1971. His father left the family when he took up with a mistress, and his mother had to work to support her two young children. B later recalled, “I don’t remember the family ever sitting down together at the dinner table.” During primary school, he focused on baseball, and in high school, he was involved in athletics. He didn’t get into trouble, but everything changed after he broke his ankle skiing. Unable to do the sports he loved, his life took a downward turn. His grades began to slip, and though he moved to a private high school, he became the target of bullying because of his 180cm height. Eventually, he dropped out of school, and during this period, he started being violent towards his mother.
B began spending time at C’s house and met A, a member of a delinquent group. Initially, B kept his distance from A, feeling like he was being used. However, after B got involved in a dispute with a local gang and sought help from A, he started hanging out with him, which led to an increase in his delinquent behaviour.
At this point, A’s group was involved in various crimes, including car thefts and kidnapping women to assault. B joined in, and on November 25, 1988, A and C attacked a high school girl cycling home. They kidnapped her and held her captive at C’s home, sparking a brutal chain of events.
The Court Case
During the trial, four of the youths received prison sentences. A received the heaviest sentence, 20 years. B was sentenced to 5 to 10 years, C got 5 to 9 years, and D was given 5 to 7 years, all receiving indeterminate sentences (final verdict). In his final statement, B tearfully said:
B: “I can’t even begin to understand how much pain and suffering the victim went through. No matter how many times I apologise, I’ll never be able to make up for it. I want to spend the rest of my life atoning for what I did.”
This version keeps the narrative style intact while adjusting for Australian English nuances. Let me know if you’d like any further changes!
■ Marriage to a Chinese Woman, but Divorce within a Few Years
After being released from prison in 1999, B found a job through one of his lawyers, working in a computer-related field as a contractor. In December 2000, he married a Chinese woman seven years his junior and moved to Chiba. She had worked in a Kabukicho nightclub and met B when he was a customer there. However, they divorced after a few years, and B returned to live with his mother in Saitama. Once again, B’s life began to spiral out of control. He had a falling out at work, resulting in him quitting his job. In an attempt to recover unpaid wages, he started associating with a gang boss through one of his mother’s acquaintances.
B’s brother-in-law described B’s situation at the time:
Brother-in-law: “After he quit his job, he started drifting. He wasn’t working anymore and began asking his mother for money.”
B bought a second-hand luxury sedan for around 2 million yen.
Brother-in-law: “After being released, he thought he could start his life from scratch. He could take out loans and do whatever he wanted. He started living a bit excessively, buying a high-end car on loan, which seemed a bit much. He had this ‘I’m the best’ attitude.”
Revisiting the Past: B’s Father
In the autumn of 2024, I visited B’s father, who lived in public housing in Tokyo. Despite the sudden visit, he welcomed me into his living room and spoke for an hour and a half about the past. After leaving the family, B’s father remarried and had two more children. B, after his release, would occasionally visit his father, who had already started a new family, driving his luxury sedan.
Father: “He came here a few times in his car.”
Journalist: “What did he come for?”
Father: “He didn’t really have any business with me. But according to my wife, he was violent towards his children. I didn’t see it myself.”
After his release, what did B expect from his father, who had abandoned him?
Psychological Evaluation by Dr. Akira Fukushima
Dr. Akira Fukushima, who was asked by the Tokyo District Court to perform a psychological evaluation of B, provided the following analysis:
Dr. Akira Fukushima: “From a young age, B was a child who observed others’ reactions, someone with dualities in his personality. He would use violence to control other children and assert his existence in a self-centred manner. However, despite having strong desires for affection from his father and being pampered by his mother, these needs were never fulfilled. This left deep emotional scars, leading him to abandon these emotional needs and self-esteem. Instead, he adopted mechanisms of repression, splitting, and distancing to cope, resulting in a neurotic personality structure. His mental state was highly twisted.”
[From the Mental Health Report dated February 9, 1990]
■ His Final Moments in the Bathroom…
After his release, B’s mother treated him with great caution, as though he were a delicate object. According to her, after B’s divorce, she suggested, “Why don’t you get married, have kids, and live a normal life?” to which he replied, “It would be impossible, I’d just be known as the child of that incident.” His father also “never spoke about prison” to him. The family never addressed the incident together.
Near the location where the high school girl was held captive, a park. Photo taken November of last year.
In May 2004, B committed another crime. He was indicted for the crime of kidnapping and injuring an acquaintance. In March the following year, he was sentenced to four years in prison by the Tokyo District Court.
In 2009, after serving his sentence at Fuchu Prison, B was released and began living alone in an apartment in Saitama Prefecture. It was a place that accepted individuals who had difficulty renting, such as recipients of public assistance and former prisoners. B didn’t work and relied on welfare. He spent his days alone, holed up in his room.
B’s final moments were lonely.
“When his mother brought him his usual lunch, he was found collapsed in the toilet. They called an ambulance, but he wasn’t breathing.”
Few people knew about B’s final moments. A woman who had supported B and his mother for years said, “Please don’t report this,” while tearfully recounting B’s death.
“It was an accident. He was on medication to suppress his emotions, and he became dizzy and collapsed in the toilet. His head got wedged between the toilet and the tank, and he couldn’t get free. He vomited and died. It was a sad way to go. He was normally a bright, quiet, and kind person.”
B passed away on July 16, 2022, at the age of 51.
During the interview, B’s brother-in-law never expressed any pity or sympathy for him. He firmly stated that B’s crimes were unforgivable, and he concluded:
“Everyone has their own way of living, but after everything B did, I don’t think anyone could forgive him. Just the fact that he lived for 51 years, to me, is unforgivable.”
In 2024, B’s brother-in-law divorced.