KOBE -- Almost three weeks after the mutilated body of an 11-year-old boy was found here, an eerie quiet has descended on Suma Ward and the neighborhood of Tomogaoka.
Few children play outside and few adults appear on the streets in this district 10 km northwest of the city center, which was developed about 30 years ago as a residential area for commuters to Kobe and Osaka. An intense police and media presence adds to the anxiety. "I've lived in this neighborhood in peace for 13 years. I never expected a fearful murder like this would happen here," said a 48-year-old member of the local women's association, asking to remain anonymous.
On May 27, the head of Jun Hase, a student at Tainohata Elementary School, was found placed at the front gate of Tomogaoka Junior High School. Inside the mouth was a menacing note taunting police. The following week, a letter threatening more murders was sent to the Kobe Shimbun by Hase's apparent killer, fueling greater fear among the 2,100-household neighborhood.