Tokyo police on Thursday released new portrait sketches of a key suspect in the 2012 murder of a 31-year-old man at a nightclub in Tokyo's Roppongi district.
The sketches of Shinichi Mitate, 45, who is on the international wanted list for murder and other charges, were posted on the X account of the Metropolitan Police Department's first investigation division ahead of the 12th anniversary of the incident.
The sketches were created by Tokyo police investigators imagining Mitate's current appearance, including guessing what he would look like if he has become fatter or thinner.
The police department is calling for information on the suspect, saying that the incident should not be forgotten.
Mitate, a former leader of a gang called Kanto Rengo, is believed to have masterminded the murder.
His whereabouts have been unknown since he arrived in the Philippines in November 2012.
Police have received a total of 1,007 eyewitness reports from across Japan, but all have turned out to be of other people.
The incident occurred in the early hours of Sept. 2, 2012, when nightclub owner Ryosuke Fujimoto was fatally assaulted by a group of men, including being beaten with bats.
It is believed that he was mistakenly targeted because he resembled a member of a rival group to Kanto Rengo.
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