2 Japanese men wanted for grisly murder arrested in Laos

Two Japanese men were arrested in Laos for allegedly murdering and dismembering the body of a compatriot in Nonthaburi province in April.

A source at the Provincial Police Bureau said it had learned that the duo had been detained in Vientiane. The bureau is in touch with Laos police and expect the two men to be sent to Thailand next week, the source said.
The suspects have been identified as Kato Takuya, 50, and Suzuki Hiroto, 33, and are believed to be members of a Yakuza gang.  

Thai police launched a manhunt after human body parts were found in several spots in Nonthaburi’s Bang Bua Thong District on April 19. The skull was found on April 23.

Initial investigation identified the victim as Kabashima Ryosuke, 47, who was shot dead in a car driven by a Thai man, Kritsakorn Jaiphitak, 30.

Kritsakorn said he had been hired to drive the victim and two others to a warehouse in Nonthaburi’s Bang Bua Thong area and later instructed to help discard the body parts.

According to him, Ryosuke was sitting next to him, while the other two were in the back seat, and the three sounded like they were having an argument. Upon arrival at the warehouse, he was told to leave the vehicle, so he walked away to smoke a cigarette. A little while later, he heard a gunshot and rushed to the car to find Ryosuke on the ground with blood gushing from his head.

He said the two men then took the body into the factory and returned carrying black plastic bags, which he was told to dispose in different spots.

Police investigators believe the three Japanese men are members of a Yakuza gang, judging by the tattoos found on the dead man’s hand. They also learned that both Hiroto and Takuya are wanted in Japan.

Investigation has shown that one of the suspects is the second in command of a Yakuza gang and had been living in Thailand for long time before his visa was revoked in 2022. The pair are believed to be also involved in a call-centre scam.