45-year-old woman stabbed to death on street in Hamamatsu

A 45-year-old woman was stabbed to death in the street, police revealed Friday.


At around 10:20 p.m. on Thursday, a man passing near the site in Hamamatsu City’s Higashi Ward, reported hearing loud shouts, following which he saw a woman lying unconscious and bleeding. The victim, later identified as Kazuyo Ikemoto, a 45-year-old caretaker from Hamamatsu, bore several stab wounds on her neck and chest, police said. She was taken to a hospital but was pronounced dead soon after.

Approximately 40 minutes after the incident, Kenichi Matsuzaka, 42, turned himself in at a nearby police station, saying he “had done something very bad” and “did not intend to kill the woman.” His clothes were stained with blood, but he was carrying no weapons, police said.

According to a friend of the victim, Matsuzaka and Ikemoto were in a relationship until 2015. After their split, Matsuzaka had continued contacting the woman, sending her up to ten threatening messages per day, Sankei Shimbun reported.

Police found a knife in Matsuzaka’s car, but is currently investigating whether this is the weapon he used in the murder.

Matsuzaka was quoted by police as saying he “did not intend to kill” the woman, but “wanted to punish her.”
The man was arrested on charges of murder and is currently undergoing interrogation.

Source: Japan Today