A 38-year-old man pleaded guilty Friday to being an accomplice in the kidnapping and murder of a company executive in Shinshiro, Aichi Prefecture.
During his first trial session before the Nagoya District Court, Katsuyuki Kume admitted helping 38-year-old Hiroyuki Goto to kidnap Toshihiro Matsui, 39, for ransom. He also pleaded guilty to helping Goto flee the country after Matsui was slain.
According to police, Matsui, a member of the local junior chamber of commerce, was abducted from the parking lot of the chamber building on the night of April 17, after attending a meeting.
His family received phone calls demanding 100 million yen in ransom, but the money was never handed over because police were unable to determine the drop site when the abductors demanded the cash. Matsui's body was found April 20, but investigators claim he was strangled soon after being abducted.