Hyogo: Priest fatally strangles wife on temple grounds

HYOGO (TR) – Hyogo Prefectural Police have arrested a chief priest of a temple in Kobe over the fatal strangulation of his wife, reports the Sankei Shimbun (Oct. 1).

On Sunday, Ayahiko Shihomi, 73, allegedly used a cord to strangle his wife, 71-year-old Nobuko, at their residence on the grounds of the temple he presides over.

At around 5:45 a.m. the following day, the couple’s son telephoned police to request assistance after finding his mother collapsed in the bathroom.

Officers from the Nagata Police Station arriving at the scene found the woman with marks consistent with strangulation around her neck. She also show signs of having been beating in the face, police said.

Shihomi, who has been accused of murder, admits to the allegations. “Our relationship has been poor, and we got into an argument,” the suspect was quoted by police.

Police are now investigating the circumstances that led to the crime.