Police in Yokohama have arrested a 22-year-old man on suspicion of killing his 18-year-old former girlfriend on Thursday.
Police said Haruki Ito, a company employee, has admitted to fatally stabbing Sana Tominaga, a university student, in the car parking lot outside the apartment building where she lived in Tsurumi Ward at around 10:15 a.m. Thursday, Kyodo News reported.
Tominaga’s mother found her lying in the parking lot and called 110. She was taken to hospital where she was pronounced dead on arrival. Police said she had been stabbed several times.
Ito turned himself in at a police station at around 10:30 a.m. He had a blood-stained knife with him.
Ito was quoted by police as saying he had been angry with Tominaga after she told him a week earlier that she wanted to end their relationship and then cut off contact with him. He told police he had been waiting for her to come out of her apartment so he could ambush her.
Police said Ito and Tominaga had been in a relationship since October 2021. However, Tominaga had spoken to friends about breaking up with Ito because he was becoming physically abusive and jealous.
Police said Friday they had been called four times since October 2021 to settle trouble between the couple. On two of those occasions, Tominaga contacted police and said she was concerned Ito was stalking her. Police issued a verbal warning to Ito and asked his parents to keep an eye on him.
© Japan Today
24 Comments
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diagonalslip
AdamP75
and once again blood is on the hands of the useless police who did NOTHING to prevent this from happening. 4 times they got called regarding a domestic dispute and they failed to protect this young woman. Absolutely pathetic.
garypen
If he would have just let her peacefully go, he'd be alone. But now, he'll be alone, and in prison. And, when he's released (which will be far too soon with the ridiculously light sentences given here) his life will be in shambles with no real job prospects. Plus, he has the added bonus of knowing he caused shame and hardship on his parents, and pain and suffering on her parents.
Stupid POS.
MilesTeg
Police were called four times because of him...and they gave him a......warning. There's a good chance she would still be alive if they had done their job.
WA4TKG
Hang ‘em High.
Premeditated.
sakurasuki
Are they being really useful? It happened in the past stalker becoming violence.
https://japantoday.com/category/crime/eye-reflection-stalker-who-assaulted-idol-says-he-%27would-like-to-do-everything-he-can%27-for-her
Do the hustle
This scenario repeats itself so often in Japan. An abusive boyfriend attacks and kills his girlfriend after she threatens to break up with him. Just change the names and dates. They are just cowardly mummy’s boys. It’s so sad for the girl and her family.
MarkX
One strange thing reported in the Japanese press was that either on the day of her killing or a few days before, she woke up with him in her room, and still the police didn't seem to think it warranted any more action!
John
they were both very young, what a terrible murder. Not sure if his parents have done anything after the police advice. He is still young too. If parents had talked to him constructively, he might have moved on with his life.
Gaijinjland
So the police are supposed to arrest someone before they commit a crime? This isn’t Minority Report. Unless there was a court issued restraining order, there was nothing the police could legally do under Japanese to have prevented this.
USNinJapan2
Gsijinjland
He beat her repeatedly, threatened her with bodily harm, and broke into her family's residence. All reported to the police. What more do you want?
kaimycahl
Sana call the police and the police called his parents!!! WTF????
Police issued a verbal warning to Ito and asked his parents to keep an eye on him.
kaimycahl
@Gaijinjland I thought I read somewhere this POS was reported by Sana on 4 occasions. Japan does have a stalking law. There is no need for a court issued restraining law, when being repeatedly stalked.
So the police are supposed to arrest someone before they commit a crime? This isn’t Minority Report. Unless there was a court issued restraining order, there was nothing the police could legally do under Japanese to have prevented this.
sf2k
Poor girl RIP
Lessons in relationship maturity would go a long way in possibly preventing anger leading to murder, but it may not have helped in this extreme case.
Nice of him to turn himself in. Do they have self service sentencing as well?
starpunk
A GROSS lack of maturity is more like it. He could've found another GF, one who really 'right' for him, if he was mature enough. That's a key word here - maturity.
The cops could've put a restraining order on this POS. Words ain't enough. They could've enforced that ruking too. Now a young woman is dead and family members are crushed.
If this turd were a man he wouldn't have even ambushed her, he would've took his lumps and moved on. Scumpot he is.
Tamarama
What hope do vulnerable women have when nobody around you will actively protect you?
The boyfriend is already violent and abusive in the relationship, but continues to stalk and harass her until he kills her after she tries to extricate herself from him.
Are there signs here that the police need to make a greater intervention based on precedent and the reasonable assumption that harm could come to her? Absolutely, 100% there is. A verbal warning? Come on man, thats pathetic.
They failed her and it's on them.
Mike Hunt
@ John:they were both very young, what a terrible murder. Not sure if his parents have done anything after the police advice. He is still young too. If parents had talked to him constructively, he might have moved on with his life.
He is 22 not 12.
Aly Rustom
AdamP75
one_consciousness
Tamarama
Agree with you all.
ArtistAtLarge
The police were called multiple times in the past for his behavior and he was never arrested?
That is a big failure by the police.
Slaybach
My student. RIP. Cannot believe this.
She was absent two days ago.
sir_bentley28
She can chose who she wants to be with! This weak creep abused her in both ways and forced her to stay with him because he couldn't take the rejection!
Let my daughter come home and tell me her ex was stalking her. Forget the police, I'm protecting mine! Because I know that whenever they tell the stalker (both male and females) to "stay away", its same as telling a 2 year old "Don't touch this cookie in front of you!" then leave the room! What's the first thing that kid is goting to do? Apply that to any stalker's "verbal warning" situation! Its so stupid! How many lives were lost because of this lack of firm action?
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=stalking+in+japan