In this week’s news roundup, we report on the acquittal of Saki Sudo, the 28-year-old accused of killing Kosuke Nozaki, the man known as Japan’s “Don Juan,” in 2018. Also this week, the Japanese atomic bomb survivors’ group, Nihon Hidankyo, receive the Nobel Peace Prize in Norway. An autopsy confirms that Miho Nakayama‘s death was an accident. Four men are arrested on suspicion of murdering their colleague via a staged suicide in Tokyo. And Shogun garners four Golden Globe nominations.
Widow of Japan’s ‘Don Juan’ Found Not Guilty of Murder
On Thursday, the Wakayama District Court handed down a not-guilty verdict to Saki Sudo, who was charged with the murder of her wealthy elderly husband in 2018. Sudo, 28, was accused of killing Kosuke Nozaki, 77, by forcing him to ingest stimulants at his home in Tanabe city six years ago. Prosecutors had sought a life sentence, arguing that she married Nozaki for his money and to inherit his fortune. President of a liquor sales company and real estate business, he was said to be worth ¥1.3 billion. The pair married in 2018.
With no direct evidence linking Sudo to the alleged crime, prosecutors focused on the search history on her phone, which included “perfect crime” and “stimulant drugs, lethal amount.” Sudo claimed she used those search words to satisfy her curiosity about unsolved and creepy crimes. Presiding judge Keiko Fukushima said it was too much to presume that Sudo had planned to kill her husband based on her search history and there was a possibility that Nozaki, who gained notoriety with his book, Don Juan of Kishu: The Man Who Gave 3 Billion Yen to 4,000 Beautiful Women, overdosed by mistake.
Nihon Hidankyo Awarded Nobel Peace Prize in Norway
The Japanese atomic bomb survivors’ group, Nihon Hidankyo, received this year’s Nobel Peace Prize in Norway on Tuesday. Since its establishment in 1956, the organization has advocated for more support for A-bomb victims, known in Japanese as “hibakusha.” It’s the second Japanese recipient of the award after former Prime Minister Eisaku Sato. The group won due to “its efforts to achieve a world free of nuclear weapons.” The prize laureate is decided by a committee of five members appointed by the Norwegian parliament. Terumi Tanaka, a 92-year-old survivor of the 1945 US bombing of Nagasaki, accepted the award on behalf of the group.
During his speech, Tanaka called for the abolition of nuclear weapons. “The nuclear superpower Russia,” he said, “threatens to use nuclear weapons in its war against Ukraine, and a Cabinet member of Israel, in the midst of its unrelenting attacks on Gaza in Palestine, even spoke of the possible use of nuclear arms. In addition to the civilian casualties, I’m infinitely saddened and angered that the ‘nuclear taboo’ threatens to be broken.” Tanaka was just 13 when the atomic bomb, nicknamed “Fat Man” was dropped on his city. He was around 3 kilometers east of ground zero at the time.
Miho Nakayama’s Death an ‘Unfortunate Accident’
Big Apple, the agency of Miho Nakayama, announced on Sunday that the famous actress and singer died as a result of “an unfortunate accident that occurred while she was taking a bath.” Nakayama, 54, was found dead at her home in Tokyo’s Shibuya ward last Friday. The estimated time of death was between 3 a.m. and 5 a.m. Her last message was a work-related one, sent at 2:30 a.m. After she failed to show up for a meeting, a person from her agency visited her apartment and discovered the Love Letter star collapsed in her bathtub.
Born in Saku city, Nagano Prefecture on March 1, 1970, Nakayama was scouted in Tokyo’s famous Harajuku district at the age of 12. She made her television debut three years later in the drama Maido Osawagase Shimasu. Her first single, “C,” followed shortly after. By the mid-late 1980s, Nakayama established herself as one of Japan’s most popular idols thanks to singles like “Waku Waku Sasete,” “50/50,” “Catch Me” and “You’re My Only Shinin’ Star.” She was most well known for playing the dual role of Hiroko and Itsuki in Shunji Iwai’s film Love Letter.
Four Arrested in Tokyo After Forced Suicide of Coworker on Train Tracks
Four men were arrested on Sunday on suspicion of murdering their colleague via a staged suicide. Police believe Manabu Sasaki, 39, who runs the painting company MA-Kensou, and his employees Akihito Shimahata, 34, Shunta Nozaki, 39, and Atsuya Iwaide, 30, ordered Osamu Takano, 56, to stand on a railroad crossing before instructing him to stay until a train ran him over. Osamu died last year in what was initially viewed as a possible suicide or accident. Investigators started to suspect Sasaki and his workers of coercion due to two suspicious vehicles departing from near the railway crossing soon after the collision.
It’s believed that the four men drove to Takano’s apartment at around 10 p.m. on December 2, 2023. They allegedly remained there for around 90 minutes before they confined the victim in a car that Shimahata drove to the railroad crossing. Police believe that Takano was abused by his boss and colleagues for more than three years due to work errors. According to investigators, he was forced to write statements such as, “Next time I fail, I will die,” via a memorandum prepared by Sasaki. The phones of the suspects reportedly contained videos of violent assaults against Takano.
‘Ban Sex Toys’: CEO Shooter Suspect Luigi Mangione’s Bizarre Post About Japan’s Birthrate
Luigi Mangione, 26, was arrested on Monday in connection with the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. He was taken into custody at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, after an employee recognized him. Inside Mangione’s backpack was a 3D-printed gun and a silencer. He was also found with a handwritten manifesto that warned, “these parasites had it coming.” Following the arrest, Mangione’s Instagram and Facebook pages started gaining thousands of followers and likes. Meta has since removed both accounts. Tweets on his X page, @PepMangione, can, at the time of writing, still be seen, including a post about Japan.
Replying to a tweet in April about Japan’s declining birthrate, Mangione listed his solutions to the problem, such as banning “Tenga fleshlights and ‘Japan Real Hole’ custom pornstar pocket pussies,” stigmatizing maid cafes to discourage lonely salarymen from visiting them and replacing “conveyor belt sushi and restaurant vending machine ordering” to encourage “actual human interaction with a waiter.” Japanese poker player Jun Obara met Mangione at a bar in Tokyo during his visit here earlier this year. He described him as being“very friendly” and said that the Baltimore native told him that “he loves Japan and Japanese culture.”
Shogun Garners Four Golden Globe Nominations
On Monday, the nominations for the 82nd Annual Golden Globes were announced. Shogun, the highly acclaimed FX and Hulu drama set in feudal Japan, will compete with dramas such as The Diplomat, Slow Horses and Mr. and Mrs. Smith for the best television series award. There were also nominations for three of the big stars from the show. Anna Sawai, 32, is among the nominees for the best performance by a female actor in a TV drama series. Hiroyuki Sanada is in contention in the corresponding male category. And Tadanobu Asano has been nominated for best supporting male actor.
The Golden Globe Awards, which take place on January 5, recognize achievements across film and television. Shogun will be hoping to add to its growing list of accolades. Earlier this year, the drama, which was created by Rachel Kondo and Justin Marks, won 18 awards at the Emmys, a record for a single season of a series. A critical and commercial success, it’s the second television adaptation of James Clavell’s novel of the same name. It depicts the days leading up to one of the most seminal conflicts in Japanese history: the Battle of Sekigahara.
Read out interview with Yuka Kouri, who plays Lady Kiku in Shogun, here.
