In this week’s news roundup we have the latest on the murder of live streamer Airi Sato. She reportedly owed the assailant, Kenichi Takano, over ¥2 million and he tracked her down during a live feed. Also this week, we report on the arrest of a self-professed fortune-teller and her acolyte on suspicion of inciting two men to kill themselves. Nissan announce the appointment of Ivan Espinosa as the company’s new CEO. Genshin Impact drops popular voice actor Showtaro Moribuko. Shohei Ohtani joins Fortnite. And Naoya Inoue is set to return to Las Vegas.

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live streamer stabbed to death tokyo

Live Streamer Airi Sato Stabbed to Death in Shinjuku

On Tuesday morning, a woman in her 20s was stabbed to death near JR Takadanobaba Station in Tokyo’s Shinjuku ward. When police arrived at the scene, they found her lying on the ground with wounds to her head, neck and chest. She was reportedly stabbed more than 30 times. The victim was rushed to hospital in an unconscious state and was later confirmed dead. She was identified as the live streamer, Airi Sato, who went by the online name of Ai Mogami. At the time of the attack, she was reportedly broadcasting content to more than 6,000 viewers.
 
The Metropolitan Police Department arrested Kenichi Takano, 42, who was found with two knives in his possession. According to investigators, Sato and Takano became acquainted in 2021 through her video-sharing activity. Takano was quoted as saying, “There was trouble. I had lent her more than ¥2 million, but she did not return it.” He said he even took out loans to support her. Takano subsequently sued Sato in 2023, and she was ordered to pay him ¥2.5 million. However, in January 2024, he informed the police that she had blocked him and gone missing following the ruling. Takano, who it has been claimed suffers from schizophrenia, tracked her down on Tuesday by watching her live feed. 

Fortune Teller Arrested on Suspicion of Inciting Two Men To Kill Themselves

On August 1, 2020, the bodies of Ichiro Yoneda, a part-time worker in his 50s, and Kohei Teramoto, a company employee in his 60s, were found bound together by a microphone cord along the shoreline in Hirogawa, Wakayama Prefecture. On Tuesday, almost five years after the discovery of their corpses, fortune-teller Yoshie Hamada, 62, was arrested on suspicion of inciting the two men to kill themselves. Her acolyte, a 59-year-old woman from Tokyo, was also apprehended. The case came to light 10 months ago after a man in his 50s filed a report with the police, claiming that Hamada extorted approximately ¥80 million from him.
 
He was reportedly told, “Do you know what will happen if you try to run away? Those two ended up floating.” Hamada and three others were arrested on suspicion of extortion on January 28. The fortune teller then reportedly told the police that she and her accomplice went to Hirogawa with the two men. Police believe she had complete control over the Toyko woman and the two victims. According to investigators, Hamada convinced them that she was a divine creator. She allegedly pressured them to kill themselves, saying, “Abandon your lives to remove the evil.” She is also accused of forging Teramoto’s suicide note with another accomplice.  
 
nissan honda merger canceled

Ivan Espinosa Named as Nissan’s New CEO

On Tuesday, Nissan Motor Co. announced that Ivan Espinosa will replace Makoto Uchida as the company’s CEO and president. The 46-year-old will officially take up his new position on April 1. A Mexican citizen who joined the Japanese car manufacturer in 2003, Espinosa has spent much of his career in his home country but has also held positions in Southeast Asia and Europe. He began his current role as Nissan’s chief planning officer in April 2024. The job was part of the company’s shake-up aimed at accelerating its pivot to electric vehicles. 

Espinosa’s appointment ends weeks of speculation regarding Uchida’s successor. Pressure on Uchida to step down intensified after Nissan’s merger plan with Honda collapsed last month. Talks started to break down after Honda proposed that Nissan become its subsidiary. The planned merger was seen as a lifeline for the latter. Last year, Japan’s third-largest automaker announced that it was cutting 9,000 jobs globally, while also reducing its production capacity by 20%. It’s not yet clear whether the merger talks will be back on the table following the change in management. 

genshin ifa voice actor

Popular Actor Removed From Genshin Impact

Genshin Impact’s official X account announced on Tuesday that veteran voice actor Showtaro Morikubo, 51, has been removed from his role in the game. He was supposed to provide the voice for Ifa. The company offered no specific reason for his departure, simply citing “unavoidable circumstances.” This lack of detail has led to much speculation among the game’s community, with many suggesting that his participation in a live reading of a book about the Uyghur genocide possibly played a part in his removal. Official channels, though, have remained silent regarding the exact reason.  

Morikubo is a well-established name in the Japanese voice acting industry, with a career spanning almost three decades. He’s best known for voicing protagonist Goro Shigeno in the baseball anime Major, Shikamaru Nara in Naruto: Shippuden and Yusuke Makishima in Yowamushi Pedal. There has been no announcement yet regarding who will replace him as the voice of Ifa, leaving fans curious about how the character will sound going forward. The game is known for its high-quality voice acting across multiple languages, making casting decisions particularly important to its global fanbase.
 shohei ohtani fortnite

Shohei Ohtani Joins Fortnite’s Icon Series

It’s official: Shohei Ohtani is coming to Fortnite. The MLB announced the news via its blog this week, starting with the words, “Global sensations in the world of baseball and video games are about to collide.” The Los Angeles Dodgers two-way superstar is getting his own custom skin in the game’s latest update on March 17. He will be rocking the Dodgers’ home (white) and away (gray) uniforms. There will also be a LEGO variant for LEGO Fortnite and the Decoy Back Bling, a bobblehead based on his famous pup.  

The accompanying emotes feature Decoy throwing baseballs to hit, and another which makes positive energy appear with Shohei’s “magic wand” routine. On top of all that, there’s the Samurai Shohei outfit with a pitching arm that becomes fiery after each elimination. On March 15, two days prior to the official launch, the Shohei Ohtani Cup will take place. This solo battle royale tournament will give the top-earning players in each region the opportunity to unlock the Samurai Shohei skin early. The MLB season begins on March 18, with Ohtani’s Dodgers side taking on the Chicago Cubs.  

Naoya Inoue

Naoya Inoue Set for Las Vegas Showdown in May 

For the first time since June 2021, Japanese boxing star Naoya Inoue is set to fight stateside. The man nicknamed “Monster” will defend his undisputed super bantamweight title against Ramon Cardenas in Las Vegas on May 4. Promoter, Top Rank, confirmed the news on Wednesday. “I am thankful to the fans in America who have followed my career,” said Inoue. “Fighting at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas is another career highlight, and I look forward to putting on a great show for everyone in attendance. Cardenas is a tough opponent who I respect for accepting the fight without hesitation.” 

In other sports news, Kawasaki Frontale and Yokohama F. Marinos both advanced to the quarterfinal stage of the Asian Champions League. There was disappointment for Vissel Kobe, though, who were eliminated by South Korea’s Gwangju FC. That was despite leading 2-0 after the first leg. In Europe, Daizen Maeda bagged his 27th goal of the season in Celtic’s Scottish Cup win against Hibernian. Ao Tanaka scored for Leeds United, who moved back to the top of the Championship. And Takumi Minamino netted again for Monaco. Other Japanese scorers this week included Kento Shiogai (NEC Nijmegen), Kuryu Matsuki (Goztepe) and Ryoya Morishita (Legia Warsaw). 

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