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Hokkaido Bar Operator Arrested After Woman’s Body Found in Wall as Police Probe Homicide

An autopsy finding of death by strangulation has prompted a potential homicide investigation.

Overview

  • Toshihiko Matsukura, 49, was arrested on suspicion of abandoning a corpse and has been sent to prosecutors.
  • Police say he admitted hiding the body at his bar around December 31, leading officers to the discovery on Saturday.
  • The victim is believed to be a woman in her 20s who was last seen on December 31 and reported missing by her grandmother the next day.
  • Investigators say the body was concealed in a one‑tatami‑mat recess sealed with boards as the bar reopened on January 2 and continued serving customers.
  • An autopsy found death by asphyxiation from strangulation with a rope‑like object, and police are examining whether Matsukura caused the death.