Yokohama Robbery-murder “I can’t play Monster Strike anymore，” his best friend tells us about the all-too-ordinary true face of a 22-year-old man who worked a “shady part-time job” and the trap of a “white job．”
In connection with a series of robberies by a group of unlicensed part-time workers, the suspect, Makoto Takada (22) of Inzai City, Chiba Prefecture, was arrested by the Kanagawa Prefectural Police on suspicion of robbery and murder for breaking into a house in Aoba Ward, Yokohama City, killing Kanji Goto (75) and stealing 200,000 yen in cash and other items. Judging from his appearance in photographs and the testimony of his grandfather who lived with him (reported in detail in #2), he does not give the impression of being the perpetrator of a heinous crime. The suspect, who appears to be more of an introverted and quiet young man than ordinary, becomes addicted to a shady part-time job and is unable to escape. The best friend of a suspect who fell for a “white case” that is easily found on social media spoke about the fear of the entrance to hell that lurks in everyday life. The person who gave testimony to Shueisha Online was Mr. A, a childhood friend and classmate of Takada. They became close friends when they walked to school together in elementary school and have remained close ever since. They both worked part-time in the kitchen of the same yakiniku restaurant during high school, and even now they would go back and forth between each other’s houses once a week to hang out and play games. That’s why the incident came as a complete surprise to me. “The last time I saw Maki was on October 13th (two days before the Yokohama incident). This time, things were just like any other day, the two of us went to a local festival, ate at a nearby Chinese restaurant, and then parted ways just after 8pm. Naturally, there was no talk of shady part-time jobs, and no one talked about them being short on money. So when I first heard that Makoto was on the news, I didn’t think he’d been arrested, and was worried that he’d been in an accident. That’s because Maki was the type of person who had nothing to do with the kind of violence seen in the reported robbery cases…” As further news about the incident continues to spread, the circumstances surrounding Takada’s involvement in the crime are gradually becoming clearer. “I believe what Maki said during police questioning, ’I couldn’t refuse because I was being threatened by my supervisor and thought that my family might be harmed,’ is true. The moon doesn’t lie. She was very close to her grandfather, so it’s not surprising that she didn’t want to be a burden to her family. I don’t think he knew it was a crime until just before the incident. In fact, I had made a promise to go out for yakiniku with everyone, including my family, on October 27th. Because my birthday is coming up soon. I don’t think he would have made such a promise if he knew it would cause trouble. Mazuki was a quiet and kind guy, so I don’t think he would have committed any crime unless he was framed.” Takarada also said that he applied for the illegal part-time job because he was behind on his taxes… “I didn’t ask about taxes, but Mazuki didn’t usually seem to be in financial trouble. In fact, I think he was one of the people earning more than his peers. Once, when I had a friend who was so broke he couldn’t even afford to buy cigarettes, he bought him a carton and said, “Oh well.” It was a cheap lunch, but Shingetsu would often treat me. He liked to eat Hotto Motto bentos because they were quick and easy to make.” He would joke and make light-hearted remarks with his close friends, but he was shy and had limited social connections. “Basically, my only friends were me and a few others around me, so Shingetsu never spent money extravagantly. Even just a little bit of alcohol makes my face turn red, and I don’t go to expensive restaurants. I loved cars, but I wasn’t the type to spend money on modifying them to make the wheels shiny or anything like that. Even if you pay for a smartphone game, it only costs around 1,000 or 2,000 yen. Sometimes she would join me in playing slots, but she would only spend 1,000 or 2,000 yen and then go home.” As his grandfather testified, Takada was apparently busy with work every morning. “Matsuki was busy working six days a week from early in the morning, so I don’t get the impression that he spent much money on his favorite computer or games. I often played games on the Switch, and I liked games like Super Smash Bros. and Monster Hunter. I also liked sleeping. I don’t think I ever had any hobbies that really cost a lot of money. I also didn’t go to bars or brothels where there were women. Also, in my image of him, he was also reliable when it came to paying money, and while he was having fun he would say, ’I have to pay something,’ and pay his car loan at a convenience store. So it seems like he takes care of things like taxes properly, and I thought he was giving it to his family to pay.” Full text, Shueisha Online.
Not only is this Monster Strike over, it’s the end of my life. The statutory penalty for robbery and murder is “death penalty or life imprisonment,” as stipulated in Article 240 of the Penal Code.
Once, when I had a friend who was so broke he couldn’t even afford to buy cigarettes, he bought him a carton and said, “Oh well.” It was a cheap lunch, but Shingetsu would often treat me. I wonder if these kinds of show-offs are actually in debt.
People who are old enough to still be unable to move on from childish entertainment like manga, anime, games, and idols are generally of borderline intelligence, so if you get multiple of these, you’re guaranteed a yakuman lol.
Monster Hunter is a game where you cut up innocent dinosaurs with a giant sword, and it’s just not for a really kind person to watch. There’s blood and the cross-sections of their tails are just too gruesome.
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