Hyogo Prefectural Police have arrested Masashi Tanimoto, a 35-year-old man from Tokyo, in connection with the fatal stabbing of a woman in an apartment building in Kobe. The suspect, who had fled the scene, was located and apprehended in Tokyo on Friday.
The victim, identified as 24-year-old Megumi Katayama, was found with multiple stab wounds on the sixth-floor landing of an apartment building in Kobe’s Chuo Ward on Wednesday evening. She was later pronounced dead. Police had been searching for the male suspect who was seen on surveillance footage in the building. A wanted warrant was issued for Tanimoto.
Following an intensive manhunt, Tanimoto was found in western Tokyo by the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. He was taken into custody and subsequently transferred back to Kobe to the Fukiai Police Station where the investigation headquarters is located. The police are now working to determine the relationship between the suspect and the victim and the motive behind the attack.
The arrest comes amidst heightened public concern in Japan over violent crimes, particularly those involving stabbings.