Crime & Courts

Man Searched for Woman Through Her Livestream on Streets of Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward Before Killing Her

The Yomiuri Shimbun

12:13 JST, March 12, 2025

Regarding the incident in which a man killed a woman livestreaming on the streets of Tokyo, the perpetrator reportedly said he came to Tokyo to search for her whereabouts while she was streaming.

The Metropolitan Police Department is investigating the details of the murder. The man, 42, is from Oyama City, Tochigi Prefecture and allegedly killed the 22-year-old woman on Tuesday as she livestreamed on the streets of Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.

He was initially arrested for attempted murder, but police have changed the charge to murder.

The man admitted to stabbing the woman but stated that he did not intend to kill her. He reportedly explained that he went to Tokyo on Tuesday morning after seeing a notification that she started livestreaming and searched for her whereabouts while watching the stream.

He began watching the woman’s livestreams in December 2021 and started going to an eatery where she worked in August 2022. The perpetrator said he had lent her more than \2 million but she had not returned it.

The man reportedly consulted the Tochigi Prefectural Police about his financial problems last January.

Police will determine his criminal responsibility.