Man Arrested on Suspicion of Hiding Woman’s Body in Wall in Japan’s Hokkaido

The Yomiuri Shimbun

17:35 JST, January 10, 2026

SAPPORO — A 49-year-old man was arrested Saturday in Hidaka, Hokkaido, for allegedly hiding a woman’s body inside a wall of a bar he runs, police said.

According to the Hokkaido prefectural police, the man is believed to have hidden the body of a female acquaintance inside the wall around Dec. 31.

Police said that the suspect admitted to the charges, saying, “I definitely hid the body inside the wall.”

The prefectural police said the body was believed to be that of a woman in her 20s who could not be contacted since the evening of Dec. 31. A missing person report had been filed with the police.