A 75-year-old man operating a Japanese language school has been found dead at his apartment in Chiba Prefecture, prompting police to launch a murder investigation.
The body of Jiro Iwai, who managed the school as well as other companies, was found around 1:30 p.m. Sunday. A female employee visited his home and found him dead and having lost blood from a wound to the head.
Investigative sources said Iwai, who lived alone in an apartment in Sakura, Chiba Prefecture, was likely struck multiple times in the killing. An autopsy showed he may have died of damage to his spinal cord.
But despite the violent death, police said there were no signs of a struggle and that a light in the room where he was killed had been left on.
Investigators believe Iwai was killed after 9:30 a.m. Friday, when a bill collector visited his home.
Iwai lived on the highest floor of a 29-story apartment complex in an area with high-rise condos and shopping centers near Yukarigaoka Station.