Little did the beautiful female student Shiori Ino expect that her life would end in tragedy, despite what seemed like the beginning of a fairy tale romance with a young, successful man.
A Fateful Encounter
On January 6, 1999, the beautiful 21-year-old college student Shiori Ino went out with a friend to an entertainment district near Omiya Station in Saitama City, Japan.
As the two young women struggled with a malfunctioning photo booth, a man approached to help them. He introduced himself as 23-year-old Kazuhito Komatsu, an entrepreneur in the automotive, real estate, and precious metals industries. Kazuhito then invited Shiori and her friend to do karaoke with his group of friends. Before leaving, Shiori gave Kazuhito her mobile number.
In the following days, the two exchanged many text messages. Kazuhito also began flirting with Shiori. Gradually, the female student developed feelings for him and accepted his invitation to date. At that point, Shiori was giddily in love, unaware that Kazuhito was completely misrepresenting himself.
This man was actually 26 years old, and even his name was fabricated. Moreover, while portraying himself as a successful young businessman, Kazuhito actually managed a chain of massage parlors with his brother.
An Obsessive Courtship
On their first few dates, Kazuhito took Shiori to upscale restaurants in an expensive Mercedes and showered her with lavish gifts. But after a while, she grew uncomfortable when he started giving her extravagant brand-name items like handbags, jewelry, and clothing from luxury brands. When Shiori tried refusing, Kazuhito yelled insults at her in public and forced her to accept them.
Weeks went by as Kazuhito’s behavior grew increasingly erratic, bombarding her with incessant calls demanding dates, sometimes just calling to stay silent on the line.
His true colors emerged when Shiori found a credit card bearing Kazuhito’s real name in his car, exposing his lies. On one occasion when he was in a car accident, she also witnessed members of the yakuza mob arriving at the hospital to visit him.
The more Shiori tried to avoid this man, the more Kazuhito threatened her until she agreed to keep seeing him.
On March 24, 1999, Shiori confided in a friend that she feared for her life. The harassment peaked when she again tried breaking things off, only for Kazuhito to threaten to kill her, and her family, and target her elementary school-aged younger brother.
After rejecting his advances repeatedly, Kazuhito demanded Shiori return every penny he had spent on her, or else he would kill her family and force her into compensated dating prostitution to repay the debt.
A Cry for Help Denied
Determined to cut ties with her new boyfriend Kazuhito Komatsu, the beautiful 21-year-old college student Shiori Ino was confronted at her home by Kazuhito, his brother, and another man making threats. The enraged trio eventually left without taking back the gifts they had forced on her, despite her family’s insistence they take them.
Shiori had recorded the entire conversation. The next day, her family went to the police station. She provided the recording and explained everything that had transpired so far, including Kazuhito’s suspicious behavior, threats, and harassing phone calls.
However, the officer receiving the report stated there were no grounds for a complaint, even suggesting Shiori was the one at fault for taking advantage of Kazuhito by accepting the expensive gifts and then trying to break up with him.
On that same day, Shiori’s family received around 20 calls where the person on the other end stayed silent. This pattern of silent calls continued for many days after.
The family made another police report, but authorities maintained their stance that Shiori was the one to blame, advising them to visit a free legal counseling office instead. After just 15 minutes there, the lawyer dismissed their concerns, saying “But she was showered with gifts, wasn’t she?” The disappointing exchange only heightened their worries.
A Life Under Pressure
The next day, Shiori received a call from Kazuhito demanding they get back together. She refused and mentioned going to the police. He immediately reacted angrily before abruptly hanging up. Meanwhile, Shiori sent all the gifts Kazuhito had forced on her back to his address via express delivery.
Over the next 4 months, Shiori’s family endured escalating harassment and threats from Kazuhito. He printed hundreds of posters featuring Shiori’s face and derogatory insults about her and her father, plastering them around their neighborhood, her university, and her father’s workplace. Despite repeatedly going to authorities with the letters, photographic evidence of his car’s license plate, and other proof, no action was taken.
On July 29th, Shiori finally filed an official complaint against Kazuhito due to his worsening stalking behavior, including death threats and sexual assault. Police accepted the case but stated they needed more time to monitor the situation.
Though their lives were under immense pressure, Shiori and her family refused to withdraw the complaint. This only further enraged Kazuhito, who began devising a sinister plan.
The Sudden death
Kazuhito discussed seeking revenge with his brother. But instead of acting themselves, the siblings decided to hire someone to carry it out in order to deflect suspicion. Yoshifumi Kubota along with two others, Akira Kawakami and Yoshitaka Ito, agreed to the murder-for-hire deal for a fee of 20 million yen (around $185,000 USD).
On July 5, 1999, Kazuhito traveled to Okinawa to establish an alibi. Meanwhile, the hired killers tracked Shiori’s movements with her photograph to prepare for the crime.
On October 26th, Shiori biked away from home towards Okegawa Station to go to university classes, unaware that Yoshitaka was tailing her from a nearby car and relaying her location to Akira, who drove Yoshifumi to the station ahead of her.
Upon spotting Shiori, Yoshifumi immediately approached and stabbed her twice – once in the hip, and a fatal blow to the heart. Bystanders immediately called an ambulance and police, but it was too late.
The Truth Comes to Light
Although Kazuhito hired others to avoid suspicion, police quickly realized the murder had been orchestrated by him and his brother. However, fearing implications, local authorities attempted to cover up the case instead of swiftly apprehending the culprits.
The media also falsely portrayed Shiori as a promiscuous gold-digger. But one journalist, Kiyoshi Shimizu, independently investigated and published an exposé detailing Shiori’s ordeal – all the stalking, threats, and even photos of her tormentors.
On December 19, 1999, police arrested Yoshifumi. Under interrogation, he confessed that Kazuhito’s brother had paid to have Shiori killed.
An arrest warrant was issued for Kazuhito. On January 27, 2000, his body was recovered from a lake in Teshikaga town – an apparent suicide, with a note in his hotel luggage alluding to his plans.
At the Saitama District Court, Yoshifumi received 18 years, his two accomplices 15 years each, while Takeshi, Kazuhito’s brother, got life imprisonment.
The police mishandling was condemned in the media, prompting hearings on their flawed response. Six officers faced disciplinary actions, three senior officers were fired and prosecuted. The court also ruled police must pay compensation to the victim’s family.
Largely influenced by Shiori’s case, in 2000 Japan enacted the Anti-Stalking Act prohibiting persistent pursuit of others, empowering victims of harassment.
