Two men were charged on Monday for allegedly damaging the corpse of an acquaintance with an alkaline substance in 2015, the police said.
The suspects allegedly used a chemical — likely sodium hydroxide — to dissolve the body of Kazumasa Iwamoto, 47, in May 2015, according to investigative sources.
The police arrested Hiroshi Nakazato, 52, and issued an arrest warrant for Ryosuke Matsuo, 41, who is connected to a crime syndicate and currently serving time on another charge.
The police allege that the suspects damaged Iwamoto's body on the premises of a construction company in Hadano, Kanagawa Prefecture. The police are also questioning a third man on a voluntary basis who is a person of interest in the case, the sources said.