Kobe Apartment Freezer Hides Corpse; Ex-Wife Admits Guilt, Investigation Shifts to Murder

(Central News Agency, Tokyo, June 24th) A shocking murder case has occurred in Kobe, Japan. A dismembered male body was discovered on the 20th inside a large freezer in an apartment. Following an investigation, police announced last night the arrest of the victim's 50-year-old ex-wife, Aki Mochizuki, on suspicion of corpse abandonment. Police stated that Mochizuki not only admitted to abandoning the body but also implied involvement in the victim's death in her statement. Police are investigating whether the case constitutes murder.

According to reports from NHK and Kobe Shimbun, the Hyogo Prefectural Police Ikuta Station stated that the victim was identified as Yutaka Nishiguchi, born in January 1969. During interrogation, Mochizuki said, "It was indeed me, there's no mistake," admitting to abandoning the body. She also confessed, "I did something terrible, there is no room for excuses." Police will further clarify whether the act constitutes murder.

According to police investigation, Mochizuki is suspected of placing the victim's body, after his death around 2012, into bags and storing it in a large freezer for approximately 14 years. The body was only discovered on the 20th after residents reported a foul odor.

The exact cause of death is currently undetermined. Police stated that the victim's torso was severed, with the upper and lower body parts placed in separate bags, suggesting dismemberment after death. Tools suspected of being used for dismemberment have not yet been found.

Investigation revealed that Mochizuki and Nishiguchi completed their divorce registration in December 2012, but they continued to live together around that time. The apartment where the body was found is on the third floor of a four-story building, and the leaseholder is registered as Mochizuki.

The case came to light when neighbors reported it. This month, residents contacted the management company about a foul odor emanating from the apartment. On the 20th, with the assistance of the management company, police entered the premises and discovered the dismembered body in a large freezer.

Investigators revealed that the power was out in the apartment when police arrived. Other residents also reported smelling a persistent odor since around March of this year.

Police revealed that Mochizuki voluntarily contacted them on the evening of the 22nd, stating her involvement in the case. Police then launched an investigation and formally arrested her on the evening of the 23rd. Police are currently continuing to investigate the victim's specific cause of death, the reasons for dismemberment, the full circumstances of the body being stored in the freezer for an extended period, and the motive for the crime. (Editor: Tian Ruihua) 1150624

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