Crime & Courts

Kobe Woman Murder: Suspect Stayed at Hotel near Victim’s Workplace for 3 Days Before Incident, Says ‘I Didn’t Know Her’

Courtesy of a local resident
A person believed to be Masashi Tanimoto, captured on a security camera at a residence shortly before his arrest on Friday in Okutama, Tokyo

The Yomiuri Shimbun

11:55 JST, August 25, 2025

KOBE – A 35-year-old suspect arrested in the alleged murder of a Kobe woman had been staying at a hotel in Kobe since Aug. 17, three days prior to the incident, according to investigative sources.

It also has been learned the suspect reportedly said, “I didn’t know her at all.” The Hyogo Prefectural Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the attack on the victim in detail.

On Aug. 20, the suspect, Masashi Tanimoto, is alleged to have stabbed the 24-year-old victim, Megumi Katayama, multiple times in the chest with a knife in the elevator of the apartment building where she lived, causing her to bleed to death. The police reportedly have not confirmed any connection between the two.

According to investigative sources, Tanimoto checked into a hotel near Katayama’s workplace on Aug. 17 and was scheduled to stay through the night of Aug. 20. However, immediately after the incident, he left the apartment building and headed to Shin-Kobe Station, traveling to the Tokyo area by bullet train.