Japanese Man’s Headless Body Discovered In A Love Hotel’s Bathroom

A man’s decapitated body was discovered at a love hotel in Sapporo, Japan. According to reports, he was last seen alive with a “person dressed in women’s clothing.” entering the hotel.

The love hotel where the victim was found | ANNnewsCH/YouTube

The victim has been identified as Hitoshi Ura. His body was discovered on July 2 at a hotel in Sapporo, on the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido. The 64-year-old victim was last seen entering a love hotel at 10:50 pm on July 1 with a companion, according to the receptionist of the establishment.

At about 2 am on July 2, the front desk received a call that Mr. Ura’s companion would be leaving the room first, and he would stay alone in the room. However, it is unclear if the call was made by Mr. Ura or the companion. The following day, his naked, decapitated body was found in the bathroom. According to medical reports, the cause of death was hemorrhagic shock from a stab wound. He was apparently beheaded after his death. All of his personal belongings, including his cell phone and clothes, were missing.

Reports state that the person last seen with Ura at the love hotel was small in size, wearing a wide-brimmed black hat and dark clothing. They also allegedly carried a large suitcase.

Forensic authorities going inside the love hotel for investigation | ANNnewsCH/YouTube

The police are finding it difficult to track down Ura’s companion and had to rope the public in for leads in the end.

The investigation is progressing. We are trying to gather as much information as possible in the hope it will lead to the arrest of the perpetrator.

—Daiki Kanamori, a detective with the Sapporo Chuo Police Station

The police reportedly found Ura’s car he had driven from his home, in a toll parking lot in Sapporo.

Plainclothes police officers talked to the public in Sapporo’s Chuo Ward at 1:55 a.m. on July 9 in hopes of getting a lead | asahi.com

Japanese love hotels are popular for their themed rooms that can be rented hourly. These establishments typically don’t require the customer’s identification, so they are popular among couples looking for a discrete meeting place, primarily for sexual encounters.

Representative image of a Japanese love hotel | hotel-lets.net

There are around 4,900 love hotels operating in Japan currently, and though it is rare to come across gruesome incidents at a love hotel, Ura’s case is not the first one of its kind. In 2021, a man and woman were found dead at a love hotel, and the investigation revealed that the woman had killed the man before killing herself. In 2018, a 46-year-old man was found dead in a love hotel in Saitama, along with a 16-year-old girl. Police reported that the two had taken their own lives.