This page has been translated from sources not in English and may contain inaccuracies or errors. 
Hideyuki Kawamoto was a man whose dismembered remains were found in and around Lake Biwa in several cities located in Shiga Prefecture, Japan, between May and June of 2008.
He was identified in November 2018 through DNA testing. No suspect has been identified in his case, and his murder remains unsolved.
Case[]
On 17 May 2008, Kawamoto's right leg was discovered on the shores of Lake Biwa in the town of Maki in Omihachiman, Shiga Prefecture, Japan. His left leg would later be discovered the same day on the shores of Lake Biwa in the town of Sabae, Omihachiman. On 20 May, his head was discovered on the shores of Lake Biwa in the town of Kurimishinden in Higashiomi. His left foot would be discovered a day later in the Otsu neighbourhood of Shimosakamoto. A month later, on 22 June, his left hand was discovered on the shores of the town of Shimogasa in Kusatsu. His right hand, which would be the final remains linked to the body, were found on 23 June in the Kitayamada area of Kusatsu, also on the shores of Lake Biwa.
The Prefectural Police investigated the case as a homicide and corpse abandonment. In 2009, they offered 3 million yen for any information that could lead to the resolution of the case.
On 30 November 2018, authorities identified the decedent as 39-year-old Hideyuki Kawamoto of Yasu, Shiga Prefecture. He was identified after police searched through driver's license records for individuals who had not renewed their driver's license. A DNA test was conducted and the identity was confirmed. The last confirmation of Kawamoto is when he renewed his drivers license in November 2007. However, authorities believe he was alive until May 2008.
Before his death, Kawamoto was acquainted with Tomoyoshi Yuzuriha, the owner of a yakiniku restaurant in Moriyama, who was arrested for the murder and corpse abandonment of another acquaintance, Sunao Nakagawa, in August 2018. He is accused of murdering and dismembering Nakagawa and dumping his remains in agricultural drainage ditches in Kusatsu, Shiga Prefecture. A link between Yuzuriha and Kawamoto came to light when police investigated Kawamoto's whereabouts and social connections following his identification.
According to investigators, Kawamoto met Yuzuriha at a construction site in Kusatsu and lived together in a dormitory provided by the construction company. It is believed Kawamoto was exchanging money obtained from pachinko parlors with Yuzuriha and there may have been disputes between the two.
Bone fragments were later found at Yuzuriha's restaurant, where he also resided. However, the restaurant did not open until two years after Kawamoto's remains were discovered, leading police to believe the bone fragments did not belong to Kawamoto. It is suspected they belong to Nakagawa or a possible third victim.
Despite the connection between Yuzuriha and Kawamoto, his murder remains unsolved, and a suspect has not been identified. Shiga Prefectural Police are still appealing for information in Kawamoto's case.
Yuzuriha is currently serving 25 years in prison for the murder of Nakagawa.
Sources[]
- Shiga Prefectural Police (Japanese)
- The Sankei News: (Japanese)
- Kyoto Shimbun (Japanese) (archived)
- Asahi Shimbun (Japanese)
- Japanese Wikipedia (Japanese)