Picture this: A worker discovers a foul smell in the area. He finds a heavy oil drum filled with concrete. But the strange thing is that… There was hair sticking out of it. Police identified a body encased in the concrete-filled oil drum. The body was of a 17-year-old girl, Junko Furuta. And it is perhaps one of the most nerve-chilling and darkest cases in history. But Furuta is not just a victim of violence and abuse. She is a symbol of injustice in our judicial system.
Furuta grew up in Misato, Saitama Prefecture. She was not your average rebellious teenager stereotype. She was a kind and well-liked girl, whether among her peers, teachers or family. She had excellent grades and low absences. She was reported to be working at a moulding factory during her senior year of high school to save up for a graduation trip. She was also supposedly going to work for an electronics store after graduation. Her friends described her dream to be an idol singer one day.
But on a cool evening on 25th November 1988, Furuta had no idea of the darkness that would envelop her life. Hiroshi Miyano and Shinji Minato were out with the intent to rape and rob local women. But something caught Miyano’s cruel eye — Furuta. At the time. Furuta was returning home on her bike from her part-time job. Minato made a move on Miyano’s instructions. He knocked Furuta off her bike and fled the scene. Miyano sensed vulnerability and offered to help her.
Miyano managed to gain Furuta’s trust and volunteered to walk her home. Furuta’s trust was about to lead her to 44 days in hell.
Miyano led her to an abandoned warehouse. There, he threatened Furuta — telling her of his ties to the yakuza. “Yakuza” are underground crime syndicates, dating back to the 17th century. A yakuza could be defined as a gang or an underground mafia. In Japan, being a part of the yakuza is not a punishable offence unless there is evidence of an actual crime. Miyano then told Furuta that he would only be merciful enough to spare her life if she acted on his orders.
Miyano took Furuta to a hotel in Adachi later that night. There, he raped Furuta and proceeded to brag about it to Ogura on the phone. Ogura advised Minato not to let Furuta leave. The next morning, the gang threatened Furuta that the yakuza would kill her family if she attempted to leave. At the time, the gang used Minato’s house as a hangout, and it was agreed to keep Furuta in a room on the second floor.
But wouldn’t Furuta’s parents notice her disappearance? Well, they did. On November 27, Furuta’s parents reported their daughter’s disappearance to the police. The group forced Furuta to call her mother a total of three times, reassuring her that she was safe and staying with some friends. The phone call may have been her only rescue, and now it was gone. The police stopped investigating.
Another question arises: wouldn’t Minato’s parents notice an unknown girl in their own house? Furuta was presented as his girlfriend, but later even that act was dropped when the group realised that Minato’s parents would not report their own son. Later it was claimed that they were too scared to report it and that their son had been violent towards them.
A lot of Furuta’s sufferings and punishments cannot be discussed in detail; here is some of it: Furuta was repeatedly gang-raped. Furuta’s genitals were burnt with a match, and several objects were inserted into her, including metal rods and bottles. Furuta was forced to drink excessive amounts of alcohol, milk or water. She was forced to inhale paint thinner fumes. She was beaten so severely that her face was barely visible. Her ankles, thighs and hands were burnt. She was forced to dance in front of them. She was made to stand on the balcony with little clothing in the cold night. Furuta was stuck in a miserable pit with no escape; she was so exhausted with the assaults she begged to be killed.
After forty days, Furuta was malnourished and unrecognisable.
On the night of 4 January 1989, Miyano lost a game of mahjong and took his anger out on Furuta. They dripped hot wax from a candle on her face, placed two shortened candles on her eyelids and forced her to drink her urine. Furuta was kicked, and she fell onto a stereo unit, which led to a fit of convulsions. The group started beating Furuta and dropped an iron exercise ball onto her abdomen multiple times. After that, Miyano proceeded to pour lighter fluid on her body and set her on fire. Despite her weakened attempts, Furuta could not put herself out. After two hours of such unimaginable and cruel assaults, Furuta died around 10 a.m.
Minato’s brother called him to tell him that Furuta appears to be dead. In fear of being caught, the group wrapped the body in a blanket, placed it in a large travel bag, and put it in an oil drum, filling it to the brim with concrete.
Around the 5th of January at 8.00 p.m., Furuta’s body was dumped in a vacant lot at a construction site on the island of Wakasu in Koto, Tokyo.
In early 1989, Ogura and Miyano were arrested on account of the rape of a 19-year-old woman. During their interrogation, Miyano made a mistake. Miyano assumed that Ogura had confessed about Furuta’s murder. Miyano’s tongue slipped, and he told the police where to find the body. However, police were confused, as they were questioning him about a different gang rape. On March 29th, Furuta’s body was recovered and identified with the help of fingerprints.
Hiroshi Miyano, Jō Ogura, Shinji Minato, and Yasushi Watanabe in court documents were referred to as “A”, “B”, “C”, and “D”, respectively. Their identities were protected by the court, as they were all under 20. However, a Japanese magazine and newspaper, “Shukan Bunshun”, published their names, due to the gravity of the crime.
Hiroshi Miyano was given a sentence of 17 years and re-sentenced to 20 years. It was the longest sentence at the time. Miyano went through a psychological evaluation ordered by the court, which revealed he had a learning disability that did not impair his brain function but delayed his emotional development. Miyano’s parents sold their home and paid Furuta’s family about ¥50 million in compensation. He was released in 2009 and changed his last name to “Yokoyama”.
Jo Ogura was given five to ten years in prison. After his release in 1999, he changed his last name to “Kamisaku”. He worked in IT but lost his job after his colleagues uncovered his identity, which led to his involvement with the yakuza again. In 2004, Kamisaku was arrested for assaulting a man for four hours, claiming that the man was involved with a girlfriend. After his release in 2009, he lived alone in his apartment and relied on welfare. He died on 16 July 2022; while on psychiatric medication, he collapsed and got his head stuck between the toilet bowl and tank, choking on his own vomit.
Shinji Minato was sentenced to three to five years and re-sentenced to five to nine years. He was released in 1998, and he moved in with his mother. In 2004, due to a dispute over a parking spot, he slashed a man’s neck with a knife and struck his shoulder with a metal baton, leading to his arrest for attempted murder.
Yasushi Watanabe was originally sentenced to three to five years but was resentenced to five to seven years. He was released in 1996, after which he lived with his mother in Tokyo. He developed a neurodivergent disease in 2005 and did not have the money to treat it. He died in May 2021.
Furuta’s funeral was held on 2 April 1989. Her employer gave the uniform she would’ve worn, which was placed at her casket. At her graduation, the principal gave her parents her diploma.
It is absolutely sickening to think the remaining perpetrators still roam freely on the streets of Japan today. Furuta was not served justice. Tokyo’s police and court received numerous requests to sentence the boys to life imprisonment or the death penalty. However, the death penalty or life imprisonment is rarely applied when there is only one victim.