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Tokyo Metropolitan Murders

COLD1968Greater Tokyo Area (Tokyo, Chiba, Saitama), Japan3 SOURCESUPDATED JUL 2026
Illustrative

Between 1968 and 1974, a series of murders and assaults targeting predominantly female victims occurred across the Greater Tokyo Area, including Chiba, Saitama, and Tokyo. The perpetrator's modus operandi involved attacking and raping women who lived alone, killing them around midnight, and burning their bodies. Most victims were in their twenties, and the presumed perpetrator's blood type was O−. Nine such cases were recorded, plus two additional cases tied to a suspect who was later convicted and then acquitted, believed to be linked due to similarities in method.

On September 12, 1974, construction worker Etsuo Ono, then 37, was arrested in Kitaura on suspicion of theft and taken to a police station in Matsudo, Chiba, where he was repeatedly questioned about the killings. Investigators cited his criminal history (13 years total in prison for theft, burglary, grievous bodily harm, and arson), a prior conviction for breaking into a Tokyo apartment and attempting to rape a sleeping occupant, his O− blood type, his familiarity with the crime-scene areas due to past arsons, a dubious alibi, and his history of using ladders in break-ins, similar to the killer's method. Japanese media outlets, including Asahi Shimbun, Mainichi Shimbun, Tokyo Times, and Tokyo Shimbun, ran headlines effectively declaring Ono guilty before trial. However, discrepancies emerged: not all cases matched the O− blood type, victim age ranges varied, and the Katsushika case was later solved with a different perpetrator identified, not Ono.

Ono was initially released for lack of evidence but was rearrested and charged on March 12, 1975, specifically with the murder of a 19-year-old woman who disappeared on July 3, 1974, after visiting a Shinkin bank in Matsudo; her body was found on August 8, 1974. Ono later said he had been coerced into a false confession through torture, including being pressed against the victim's corpse and a mortuary tablet, burned with incense and cigarettes, exposed to cold through open windows, and having his hair pulled. On September 4, 1986, the Matsudo branch of the Chiba District Court convicted Ono and sentenced him to life imprisonment. On April 23, 1991, the Tokyo High Court acquitted him of the murder, citing the unreliability of his confession, though he was separately convicted of theft and rape from the same period and released after 16 years in custody, receiving 36.5 million yen in compensation.

After his release, Ono was publicly regarded as a wrongful-conviction victim. He was imprisoned again for a 1992 theft, and in 1996, shortly after that release, he was arrested for a murder in Adachi in which a woman was burned and decapitated. Unlike the Matsudo case, police reportedly had substantial evidence, and Ono admitted guilt, receiving a life sentence in 1999.

Of the eleven linked cases, only the Katsushika case has been conclusively resolved. The remaining ten cases are cold, with the statute of limitations expired. Debate continues over whether Ono's original Matsudo confession was genuine, with his own trial lawyer later stating he began doubting his client's guilt during proceedings.

Key facts

Victims
On file
Date
1968
Location
Greater Tokyo Area (Tokyo, Chiba, Saitama), Japan
Case status
cold

Case timeline

  1. 1968-07-13

    A 26-year-old office worker was raped and burned to death at a vacant lot in Adachi; an anonymous caller later named Ono, but no arrest was made.

  2. 1973-01-26

    A 22-year-old office worker was found strangled and burned in her apartment in Kita; Ono was reportedly seen at a nearby bar two days later.

  3. 1973-02-13

    An apartment fire in Suginami killed a 22-year-old man and a 67-year-old woman, both later found burned to death.

  4. 1974-06-25

    A 30-year-old housewife in Matsudo disappeared; her strangled body was found at a construction site on 1974-08-10.

  5. 1974-07-03

    A 19-year-old woman went missing in Matsudo after visiting a Shinkin bank; her body was found on 1974-08-08 at a land development site.

  6. 1974-07-10

    A 21-year-old teacher was raped and burned to death in Matsudo.

  7. 1974-07-14

    A 48-year-old restaurant owner and a 58-year-old store clerk were raped and burned in Katsushika; this case was later solved with a different perpetrator identified.

  8. 1974-07-24

    A 22-year-old pharmacist was sexually assaulted and burned in her apartment in Sōka.

  9. 1974-08-06

    A 24-year-old office worker was raped and burned in an office break-in in Adachi.

  10. 1974-08-09

    A 21-year-old woman was raped and burned in her Shiki apartment; DNA evidence suggested a different blood type, raising the possibility of a copycat.

  11. 1974-09-12

    Etsuo Ono was arrested in Kitaura on suspicion of theft and questioned about the murders at a Matsudo police station.

  12. 1975-03

    Ono contacted the Relief Liaison Center claiming innocence; the Etsuo Ono Relief Society was subsequently established.

  13. 1975-03-12

    Ono was rearrested and formally charged with the murder of the 19-year-old woman found near the Shinkin bank in Matsudo.

  14. 1986-09-04

    The Matsudo branch of the Chiba District Court convicted Ono and sentenced him to life imprisonment.

  15. 1991-04-23

    The Tokyo High Court acquitted Ono of the murder due to unreliability of his confession, though he remained convicted of theft and rape; he was released after 16 years in custody.

  16. 1992

    Ono was sentenced to prison for a theft committed that year.

  17. 1996

    Shortly after release, Ono was arrested for a murder in Adachi in which a woman was burned and decapitated.

  18. 1999

    Ono was convicted and given a life sentence for the 1996 Adachi murder after admitting guilt.

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People

  • Etsuo Ono

    ACQUITTED

    Convicted in 1986 and sentenced to life imprisonment for the July 1974 Matsudo murder of a 19-year-old woman; acquitted of that murder in 1991 by the Tokyo High Court due to an unreliable confession, though he remained convicted of theft and rape from the same period.

Roles reflect public records and court outcomes at the time of writing — supporting citations are on file under Sources.

Places

Greater Tokyo Area (Tokyo, Chiba, Saitama), Japan

35.6895, 139.6917

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Common questions

What happened to the victim?
Between 1968 and 1974, victims—mostly women living alone in Tokyo, Chiba, and Saitama—were targeted in eleven linked cases involving rape, killing, and arson. Only one case was conclusively resolved; Etsuo Ono was convicted and later acquitted of one of the murders, and was later convicted in an unrelated 1996 killing.
Where did the murders happen?
Greater Tokyo Area (Tokyo, Chiba, Saitama), Japan.
What is the current status of the case?
Status: cold.
More cases in Japan

Sources

  1. Tokyo Metropolitan Murderswikipedia · Wikipedia · 2026-07-10
  2. Contemporaneous coverage — nishinippon.co.jpnews · nishinippon.co.jp · 2026-07-10
  3. Contemporaneous coverage — jca.apc.orgnews · jca.apc.org · 2026-07-10