Tokyo Metropolitan Police arrested a 45-year-old man on Friday on suspicion of mutilating and abandoning the remains of his girlfriend, whose bones were discovered on a beach on Izu Oshima last October.
Sotatsu Yanase, who runs a tatami shop on the island, admitted to the allegations.
The victim was identified as Shizuka Takase, a 37-year-old restaurant worker from Shimoda, Shizuoka Prefecture. The couple had a history of fighting, mainly about issues related to his relationships with other women. Authorities believe Yanase is aware of the circumstances surrounding her death and are investigating further.
Investigators suspect that between Sep. 9 and Oct. 23 of last year, Yanase mutilated Takase’s body and abandoned it at Sanohama Beach.
Takase had worked at a snack bar on the island since around 2019. She met Yanase, a customer, in 2020, and the two began dating. She later moved in with him but left the island in September 2023 following an argument.
On Sept. 9 last year, Takase took a ferry from the city of Atami, Shizuoka Prefecture, to return to Izu Oshima and is believed to have visited Yanase’s home. She was scheduled to leave the island on Sept. 12 and meet friends for a trip to Okinawa, but she never showed up, and her whereabouts remained unknown.
On Oct. 23 at around 3:45 p.m., a man in his 70s discovered skeletal remains while cleaning Sanohama Beach and reported them to the police. Six bones, including a sacrum and femurs, were found in a state of advanced decomposition, with signs of burning and cutting. A DNA test confirmed on Jan. 14 that the remains belonged to Takase.
Takase had lived a nomadic lifestyle, working at resorts across Japan. Her belongings were still left behind in her most recent residence in Shimoda when she went missing.
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