A female snack bar owner in Nishitokyo was found dead in her place of business, her ex-husband lying unconscious and injured nearby. No one knows, as of yet, exactly what happened. It appears, however, that the woman’s ex engaged in a campaign of domestic violence against her that included revenge porn and even an attempt to drive a car into her place of business.
(Editor’s note: Read the latest news on this story here)
The details
As reported by Asahi Shimbun, a neighboring store called the Japanese 110 emergency line on March 25th, reporting water flowing out from snack bar Kasumi near Hoya Station in Nishitokyo.
When they arrived, they found a man and a woman lying in blood on the ground.
The woman was later identified as the bar’s owner, 37-year-old Tokuyama Tomomi. She had multiple injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene. The unconscious man, in his 40s, was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. According to ANN News, police found a fruit knife near the scene.
The press still hasn’t identified the man by name except to say that he was Tokuyama’s ex-husband. There don’t seem to be any witnesses to the incident, which means it may be hard to tell what happened. The only one who can testify to the incident is the ex, who will obviously have a vested interest in recalling a version of events that suits him.
Locals interviewed by Shueisha Online who had an opportunity to speak with her describe Tokuyama Tomomi as having a gyaru or “yankee” (street tough) demeanor and manner of speaking. She reportedly moved her store to Nishitokyo from Ōizumi-gakuen in Nerima City. According to at least one person interviewed, she may have had at least one child.
Revenge porn and a car driven into the stairwell
What’s clear, however, is that, like a recent case in Hungary where a Japanese woman was murdered by her abusive ex, the man appears to have had a history of violence and harassment against his ex-wife.
As ANN News and Daily Shincho report, in May 2023, amid a contentious divorce between Tokuyama and her ex, someone attempted to drive their car down the stairwell leading to her shop on the first-floor basement. The man, according to reports, then got out of the car and rushed into Kasumi, where he broke a bottle over Tokuyama’s head.
According to Tokyo Shimbun, Tokuyama called 110 to report that she’d been assaulted by her ex-husband. Neighboring businesses say that Tokuyama was extremely apologetic at the time, bringing waffles and apologizing for the “inconvenience.”
Her ex is also suspected to have uploaded a video to YouTube days before the incident. The video, posted under the username kraokesumacksumi, reportedly showed a woman and a man having sex inside a car. A tattoo on the woman, according to Daily Shincho, makes it clear it’s Tokuyama. The clip appeared to be an attempt at revenge porn on the part of her ex. (Both the video and the account have since been removed from YouTube.)
Shueisha reports that Tokuyama consulted police over the revenge porn incident. It isn’t clear what action police took. It’s also not clear what charges or other punishment might have been doled out over last May’s assault or if the case was even prosecuted.
Police are reportedly waiting for the ex-husband to recover to grill him. For now, this appears to be shaping up as yet another case in which society failed to protect a woman who was clearly in danger from a violent man.
Follow-up: Snack Bar Murder: Police Arrest Ex-Husband Who’d Previously Assaulted Victim
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