Recent big news in Japan was the deathbed confession of Satoshi Kirishima, who was involved in the bombing of the Mitsubishi Heavy Industry headquarters in 1974 that killed eight people. Kirishima avoided prison for half a century and lived a relatively normal life under a false identity until just three days before his death from stomach cancer.
Another notable part of this case was Kirishima’s wanted poster, which had an unusually gentle smile compared to the grim expressions of most of the other suspects.
With just a casual glance, your eyes are probably drawn to the smiling Kirishima in the bottom corner, much to the chagrin of Shigeyuki Kin, who happens to be the guy whose photo is directly to Kirishima’s left. With the recent development, this poster was widely displayed in media coverage and I can imagine that Kin was constantly seeing it next to his own face for the entire country to see.
And sure enough, just as the media blitz surrounding Kirishima was underway, police received an anonymous tip leading to Kin’s residence in the city of Sendai. The 55-year-old mafia member was wanted for attempted murder over a shooting incident that occurred in Nagano Prefecture in 2020.
Wanted Criminal Arrested Thanks to Media Coverage of Another Dead Criminal
Kin was promptly arrested on February 1 in a building where he lived, which is owned by a company affiliated with his organized criminal group, suggesting he was well hidden and unlikely to have been found without sudden recognition. If ties between the gang and the residence are proven, it could even lead to more arrests.
It’s certainly a testament to the power of showing wanted posters on television, and many online comments have questioned why it isn’t done more often.
“If showing wanted posters on TV can get these types of results, they really should do more.”
“I envy people who can recognize faces like that. If someone changed their hair, I wouldn’t be able to recognize them.”
“And it’s all thanks to Kirishima’s smile.”
“Those morning shows are boring anyway. They should show mug shots all the time.”
“It’s funny to imagine that guy’s anxiety seeing his face on TV every day.”
“Normally I don’t look at these posters outside. They should show them on TV more.”
“At least Kirishima could do something good before he dies.”
“They caught him immediately too. I would be worried if I was one of those other guys on the poster.”
“Now that they’re reporting Kin’s arrest, maybe they’ll catch the guy next to him.”
After Kin’s arrest, reporters interviewed people in the neighborhood, all of whom expressed surprise to discover that one of Japan’s most wanted was living on the same street as them. This shows that even though most people ignore wanted posters thinking they would never cross paths with these people, you can never be sure.
via SoraNews24
