Overview
- Riko Uchida testified at Asahikawa District Court on Friday, May 29, saying she did not see the 17‑year‑old fall while admitting she stripped and assaulted the girl and left the suspension bridge shortly before hearing a scream and a fall.
- Prosecutors say Uchida and a co‑defendant drove the victim from Rumoi to Asahikawa, abused her and forced her onto the bridge, and a 21‑year‑old co‑defendant has testified that Uchida pushed the girl from the railing.
- Tochigi and Kanagawa police arrested an 18‑year‑old high‑school student on Saturday, May 30, on a charge of introducing a juvenile who acted as an executioner in a May 14 home‑invasion killing, bringing the number of accused in that case to seven.
- Investigators have publicly wanted a suspected mastermind, Masuda Kazuhiko, who is believed to have left Japan for Southeast Asia and is accused of using secret messaging apps to send target and asset information to accomplices.
- Police say both cases illustrate a pattern of ‘anonymous, fluid‑type’ criminal groups that use encrypted apps and ‘dark part‑time job’ recruitment to enlist minors, prompting cross‑prefectural task forces, device forensics and charges under Japan’s law banning introduction to harmful work.