CHIBA – Police on Thursday arrested a 23-year-old man who admitted stabbing his former girlfriend to death the day before on a street in Ichikawa, Chiba Prefecture.
Hayato Oka, of Matsudo, Chiba Prefecture, was apprehended at a ferry terminal on Hachijo Island around 285 km south of Tokyo.
The victim, Shiori Yuasa, 22, was stabbed in the abdomen, apparently with a kitchen knife, at around 4:30 p.m. Wednesday in a shopping district in the city of Ichikawa and was pronounced dead at a hospital.
The attack reportedly occurred soon after Yuasa and her 3-year-old daughter had gotten out of a car driven by her current boyfriend.
Yuasa was heading to buy lottery tickets.
The boyfriend, whose name was not released, told investigators that the male assailant ran away with a kitchen knife measuring 20 to 30 cm.
Witnesses said the man ran up a stairs leading to JR Motoyawata Station, the police said.
They received tips that the man was heading to Hachijo Island on Wednesday night aboard a ferry. Chiba Prefectural Police officers flew to the island by helicopter to wait for the ferry from Tokyo.
At the terminal at 9 a.m. Thursday, they took the man resembling the suspect into custody on a voluntary basis after he said “it’s me.”
Police later officially arrested Oka and transferred him by helicopter back to Chiba Prefecture for further questioning.
Matching witness accounts in Chiba, Oka was wearing a black jacket, jeans and a black knit hat. He also had in his possession a health insurance card bearing his name.
Police said they also found a bloodstained kitchen knife in Ichikawa based on information from Oka.
Yuasa had gone to the police in September and said she was being bothered by her former boyfriend, who was allegedly pressing her to get back together.
The police only verbally warned the man as they did not confirm any violent action against Yuasa.
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