Taxi driver murder near Yokosuka - arrest warrant issued
Well, one of the main stories this morning coming out of Japanese domestic news feeds is that an arrest warrant has been issued for a U.S. Sailor in connection with the murder of a taxi cab driver near Yokosuka naval base on March 19th. The taxi driver was found with a kitchen knife embedded in his neck, struck so hard that it actually punctured his lung too. The story comes from Kyodo News:
Japanese police to arrest U.S. sailor on suspicion of murder
Thursday 3rd April, 04:08 AM JST
Japanese police decided Wednesday to arrest a 22-year-old U.S. Navy sailor Thursday on suspicion of murdering and robbing a Japanese taxi driver last month in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, police sources said.
Police will seek an arrest warrant Thursday and take the seaman into custody after the U.S. side agrees to hand him over at a meeting to be convened by the Japan-U.S. joint consultation committee on matters related to U.S. bases in Japan, Kanagawa police sources said.
The U.S. side is expected to swiftly agree on the handover under special improved implementation arrangements in the Status of Forces Agreement, and Japanese police intend to begin a full investigation after the sailor is moved from the U.S. naval base in Yokosuka, the sources said.
The sailor, identified as a man of Nigerian nationality and held by the U.S. military, admitted Wednesday to killing the taxi driver last month in Yokosuka during questioning by Japanese police, the sources said.
Japanese investigators went to the base on Wednesday to question the sailor, who is being detained on suspicion of desertion. Questioning started at around 9:30 a.m. with an interpreter and U.S. Navy officials present, according to the sources.
The man, who is a member of the crew of the U.S. 7th Fleetfs cruiser Cowpens based at Yokosuka, had also admitted to killing the driver during earlier questioning by U.S. Navy investigators, according to navy officials.
Taxi driver Masaaki Takahashi, 61, was found dead with a kitchen knife in his neck in his cab in Yokosuka on the night of March 19, apparently after he picked up his last customer at Tokyofs Shinagawa station. A credit card was left inside the cab and the U.S. serviceman was identified as its owner.
The sailor had not returned to the base since March 8 and was seized by U.S. Navy personnel in Tokyofs Gotanda area on March 22. He initially denied the accusation against him and insisted on his alibi, but later admitted to it, navy officials said.
According to investigations by Japanese police and the U.S. Navy, the serviceman had taken the kitchen knife from the home of a female acquaintance in Tokyo, and also called a male acquaintance immediately after the murder and hinted he had killed the driver, the sources said.
A man who looks like the serviceman was also captured by security cameras at Shinagawa station and in a commercial district of Yokosuka city, the sources said.
Japanese police are currently checking logs of the sailorfs mobile phone, and have also received fingerprints and DNA samples of the sailor from the U.S. Navy, the sources said
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A couple of comments about this story. Firstly, unless the sailor is under 20 years of age, it is very strange that his name has not been released to the public. The now infamous (and innocent) Tyrone Hadnott had his name all over the media as soon as that event allegedly transpired, but this sailor’s identity is being kept in the dark from the public. Secondly, the series of events leading to this murder seem very strange. Firstly, it would seem that the sailor took the kitchen knife from the home of a female acquaintance. This would suggest that the murder was premeditated. The lack of fingerprints on the knife (as this would have definitely been reported as evidence) would also suggest that he was well prepared for this. But then why did he take his credit card out with him - an item which would clearly reveal his identity? And if the murder of a taxi cab driver but not taking any money was pre-meditated, then why did he contact his friend immediately after and “hint that he had killed the driver”? Surely that would be something you would do if the murder was instinctive and not pre-meditated as this one seems to have been. Well, your sceptical author thinks a confession has been achieved through some coercion/interrogation by some party or other. It is interesting that the story makes note that he is of Nigerian nationality. Is that an important detail to this story? Interestingly, a number of reports about US Marine crime stories have talked about police talking to “a black Marine”.
Anyway, Yokosuka has now stopped selling alcohol on base and has imposed a 10pm-5am curfew for its personnel. Obviously, this wouldn’t stop an event like this occurring, but it is a show of force by the authorities up there. Will seriously be interested to see if this sparks any protests up there in Yokosuka. Being here in Okinawa, I hear and see a lot of anti-US base rhetoric, but I don’t know what the reaction will be like on the mainland. If you are up there and have any info on it, let me know.
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