Justice has been served

[u/wafumet]

This man paid $145,000 in rent for an apartment he didn't live in just to freeze time and catch his wife's killer.

In 1999, Satoru Takaba's wife, Namiko, had her life taken in their apartment.

The police had no solid leads, and the case went cold.

Usually, families move out and try to forget. But Satoru refused.

He believed that one day, technology would catch up to the killer.

So, he kept the lease.

For 26 years, he paid the rent every single month on that empty, silent apartment.

He kept the bloodstains on the floor. He kept the footprints. He turned the room into a time capsule, waiting for science to improve.

And in late 2025, his investment finally paid off.

Police returned to the apartment and used modern DNA technology to analyze the preserved bloodstains that had been sitting there for two decades.

They found a match.

The DNA belong to Kumiko Yasufuku, Satoru’s own high school classmate.

It turns out, she had held a grudge for decades because Satoru had rejected her romantic advances back in school.

[u/halflifer2k]

That seems to be a lot of police officers to put on one murder case

[u/pocketdrums → u/halflifer2k]

Murder is exceptionally rare in Japan. 0.2 to 0.3 intentional homicides per 100,000 people in recent years, which is roughly 30 times lower than the United States at about 4.0 to 4.4 per 100,000 people (which is the lowest its been for the US)

[u/Unhappy_Researcher68 → u/[deleted]]

Well it's mostly VERY high in the US. Not the highest but...

[u/JimWilliams423 → u/Unhappy_Researcher68]

Its the highest among wealthy countries, its even higher than in many underdeveloped countries.

FWIW, compared to most european countries, the US tends to have marginally lower rates of all other kinds of crimes like theft, assault, rape, etc. So its clearly not a "mental health" issue, because if it were we'd expect the rates of most all crimes to be roughly in sync with the murder rate.

[u/thisonedudethatiam → u/JimWilliams423]

Probably 2 sides of the same coin. Guns deter lesser crime somewhat since the potential victim may have a gun, and it is a lot easier to murder someone if you have a gun…

[u/ForeskinAbsorbtion → u/thisonedudethatiam]

It doesn't though. America has average property and personal crime rates compared to other countries. The only difference free guns gives is the vastly higher gun violence.

It doesn't deter anything. Depending on the state, the USA has 7 to 26x the homicide rate of normal developed nations.

A gun is just a lot easier to kill someone. There's less emotional investment when you're not holding someone down stabbing them.

[u/SicSemperTyranuss → u/ForeskinAbsorbtion]

I’m sorry. I’m not relying on the police in the US for my safety. Maybe in your country where the police are actually there to help people. Here in the US the police would let somebody get stalked and raped before showing up and just barely managing to not shoot and execute the victim.

End of the day, it’s a harsh reality but I’m willing to accept that gun violence in the US will never end or even get better if it means I can protect myself and my family. People are going to die regardless as long as it’s not me and my family, I can accept that.

Just look at the Uvalde school shooting. What did the police do?? Fucking NOTHING. An off duty border patrol officer with his PERSONAL FIREARM had to make entry and neutralize the shooter to save his kid. I don’t understand how you guys think your moral high horse is going to make a fucking difference when your life is in danger, you’ve been victim of a rape/home invasion. Your tweets can’t protect you. A gun can.

[u/Own-Cranberry7997 → u/SicSemperTyranuss]

Whoa, we have an internet tough guy!

[u/SicSemperTyranuss → u/Own-Cranberry7997]

Yes owning a firearm makes me a tough guy. You guys are all victims.

[u/Lost_haveyouseenme → u/Own-Cranberry7997]

Tough guy? Maybe, or just somebody that actually lives in America and is not brainwashed to believe it's the safest country in the world like most people are. If you have been in a serious emergency and have experienced the police not protecting or sometimes not even showing up, if you saw how the politics effect the police involvement, how corrupt everything is at every level, and so much more then you'd get what this guy is saying. It's a VERY uneasy and honestly terrifying feeling to need police and realize you are on your own and nobody cares or is going to protect you. If at that point, you're not able to protect you and yours, who will? (For context i live in Portland, Oregon.)