Four more teenage boys were arrested Friday in connection with the slaying of a boy whose body was found
on a riverbank in Saitama Prefecture on Tuesday.
A fifth teen was arrested Thursday after allegedly bragging on an online messaging system that he had killed someone.
The latest suspects to be arrested are a
17-year-old boy, a 14-year-old junior
high school student and a 15-year-old
junior high school student from
Higashimatsuyama, Saitama Prefecture,
and a 15-year-old junior high school
boy from Kawagoe, Saitama. Investigative sources say the teens are believed to have known the victim, 16 -year-old Tsubasa Inoue. All are
suspected of playing a role in his killing.
Police say three of the latest detainees have admitted to the allegations, but the 15-year-old from Higashimatsuyama said he was merely present at the time
and did not play a role. Inoue’s naked body was found half- buried beside the Toki River in Higashimatsuyama on Tuesday morning. He is thought to have drowned when the river flooded, but his body also bore bruiselike marks. It is unclear how these were inflicted, but the sources said the victim may have been physically assaulted before his death.
Details have been emerging of the boys’
relationship with the victim. Inoue accompanied them on a trip to a hot spring from Aug. 17 to 20, an acquaintance of Inoue’s said, noting that he seemed to have enjoyed the outing.
One of Inoue’s friends told police that the group had been forcing him to provide money to pay for gasoline for their motorbikes. Inoue had recently asked others if he could borrow cash, the friend said.
Investigative sources said the 16-year- old boy arrested Thursday has admitted playing a part in the death, saying he killed Inoue because he had lied and ignored phone calls and text messages. Some of those arrested belonged to a group that was known for bullying
others in the past. A boy who was friends with Inoue went to police when the group beat him up.
Officers did nothing, he said, dismissing the incident as typical teenager behavior.
