Woman killed by boyfriend after she consulted police about his violence toward her

OKINAWA — Police in Ishigaki City, Okinawa Prefecture, have arrested a 44-year-old man on suspicion of killing a 30-year-old woman he was dating after she consulted police about his abusive behavior toward her.

Police said Kataro Fukuoka, whose address and occupation are unknown, turned himself in a police station on Wednesday night, NHK reported. He is accused of stabbing Yoko Inamura, a company employee, in the chest and stomach on a street at around 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday. She was taken to hospital where she died later that night.

According to police, Inamura consulted them on Oct 10 and said the man she was dating assaulted her after they had gotten into an argument over their relationship.

When police asked if she wished to file a complaint, she declined to do so, saying she feared it would enrage Fukuoka.

However, there was another dispute on Oct 13, so the police gave Fukuoka a verbal warning.

On Oct 23, the day of the murder, Inamura picked up her belongings from the apartment, with police present. Fukuoka was not there and did not show up, until he turned himself in at the police station that night.

Oshiro Iwao, deputy chief of the Okinawa Prefectural Police Headquarters Personal Safety Measures Division, commented, "We believed that we had taken the necessary measures, but if there were any shortcomings in our procedures, we will see where we need to improve.”

© Japan Today