A taxi driver was found slain in his cab Tuesday morning in Higashiosaka, Osaka Prefecture, in a suspected robbery, police said.
Toshiharu Goto, 67, of Osaka-based taxi operator Shoto Kotsu Co., was already deceased when officers rushed to his cab in a factory parking lot at around 7:25 a.m. after receiving a telephone call from a passerby, the police said.
Goto's neck appeared to have been slashed with a sharp knife. The driver's side door was open and one of his legs was dangling out of the cab, the police said.
The taxi's interior was vandalized and Goto's wallet was on a seat.
It was not immediately clear if or how much money was stolen, they said.
The motor had stopped by the time police arrived.
The taxi operator said the meter had been stopped and showed ¥4,900.
The operator said Goto's shift had started early Monday.
The company's radio control center did not receive any reports from Goto throughout Monday.
Snatcher outrun
KYOTO (Kyodo) A college student caught a man who snatched a woman's wallet in a 100-meter sprint Monday evening on a street in Kyoto, police said.
Hisashi Yanagisawa, 41, was arrested shortly after he was caught at around 7:55 p.m. in Shimogyo Ward on suspicion of stealing ¥14,000 from the woman, the police said.
Shinji Otani, a graduate student of Hiroshima University who was sightseeing in the ancient capital, was quoted as saying: "I started running immediately after I heard the woman's scream. I'm glad he is arrested."
The suspect had only ¥500 in cash. "I wanted some money to keep myself alive," Yanagisawa was quoted as telling police.
