Hokkaido Bar Manager Arrested After Woman's Body Found Hidden Behind Wall

A night of celebration turned into a grim investigation in Hokkaido. Japan Today reports that police in Hidaka arrested 49-year-old Toshihiko Matsukura on suspicion of abandoning a woman's body behind a wall in the bar he manages.

Hokkaido Bar Body Hidden Wall: 10 Days of Silence

Police discovered the body on Saturday morning, hidden in a one-tatami-mat space behind a storage area wall, covered with plywood. An autopsy revealed the victim, a woman in her 20s, was strangled to death approximately 10 days ago. She was found fully clothed, just as she was when her grandmother reported her missing on January 1.

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The Suspect and the Victim were Acquaintances

According to Hokkaido Broadcasting Corp, Matsukura has already admitted to the charges. The most chilling detail for many in the community is that the bar was reopened just two days after the crime occurred. It's reported that the suspect and the victim were acquaintances, though the exact motive for the strangulation hasn't been disclosed yet.