2-5-2024 (TOKYO) Japanese former child actor Kirato Wakayama, known for his roles in popular live-action adaptations such as “Kiki’s Delivery Service” and “Laughing Under the Clouds,” was among two men arrested in Japan on Wednesday (May 1) in connection with a disturbing double murder case.
The victims, restaurateur Ryutaro Takarajima, 55, and his wife Sachiko, 56, were discovered on April 16 on a riverbed in the town of Nasu, Tochigi Prefecture, near Tokyo. Both were found with plastic bags over their heads, their limbs bound, and had been strangled to death.
Kirato, 20, retired from acting in 2018, and his career included appearances in well-known series such as “Kamen Rider Wizard” and historical dramas like “Gunshi Kanbei.”
He was apprehended alongside South Korean national Kang Kwang-ki, 20, on suspicion of tampering with the corpses. Allegedly, they conspired with two other suspects, Ryoken Hirayama, 25, and Hikaru Sasaki, 28, who were arrested earlier, in burning the bodies.
While police did not disclose whether Kirato and Kang admitted to the accusations, the suspects have not been charged with murder yet, pending further investigations.
The incident unfolded on the night of April 15 when Kirato and Kang purportedly assaulted the Takarajimas in an abandoned house in Tokyo before transporting them to Tochigi Prefecture using a car borrowed from Hirayama.
Hirayama, detained on April 21, stated that he acted on Sasaki’s instructions, enlisting Kirato and Kang to dispose of the bodies. According to Japan Times, Hirayama received a substantial sum of money on April 16, which he allegedly shared with Kirato and Kang. Most of the money has been recovered from a location linked to the latter two suspects.
Sasaki, arrested on April 29, claimed he received disposal instructions from an unidentified individual and did not receive any payment for his involvement in the crime.
