Hikikomori shut-in lived with corpse of mother in Yokohama residence

KANAGAWA (TR) – Kanagawa Prefectural Police have arrested a 49-year-old man, who lives a shut-in existence, following the discovery of the corpse of his mother at their residence in Yokohama, reports Kyodo News (Nov. 5).

On November 4, the younger sister of Masaru Nakamoto alerted police after visiting the residence, located in Kanazawa Ward, and finding the decayed corpse of her mother, 76-year-old Kayoko, atop a futon in a bedroom.

Officers from the Kanazawa Police Station arriving at the scene found the the body to not have any significant wounds. Nakamoto was later accused of abandoning a corpse.

According to police, Nakamoto shared the residence with his mother, who is believed to have died in the middle of October. After her death, the suspect moved her corpse from the kitchen to the bedroom. It is believed she died due to natural causes.

Nakamoto suffers from the condition known as hikikomori, meaning a person who has withdrawn from society.

For roughly 40 years, he has not spoken to anyone. Instead, he communicates through a technique known as hitsudan, which involves writing on paper. “I didn’t do anything,” the suspect wrote to police. “I wanted my sister to come.”

A neighbor tells Fuji News Network (Nov. 6) that they have never heard the suspect speak. “Not a word,” the neighbor was quoted, “and I haven’t seen [his] mother lately.”