15-06-2025
Nagano father of victims in yakuza shooting calls for support
NAGANO (TR) – 'I don't want to forget these curtains and window until I leave this house vacant.'
Those are the words of 60-year-old Takenori Ichikawa. Five years ago, a yakuza member broke into the house in the town of Sakaki through the window and took the lives of his daughter and son.
Last month, Ichikawa spoke to Fuji News Network (June 2) about his unhealed grief. Since the incident, the father has continued to call for the expansion of support for crime victims, saying that 'there is still a lot of room for improvement.'
On the night of May 26, 2020, gang member Sho Ozawa, aged 35 at the time, broke into and shot and killed Ichikawa's eldest daughter, 22-year-old Anna, and second son, 16-year-old Naoto, with a handgun. Ozawa then committed suicide on the spot.
Two days before the incident, police had obtained an arrest warrant for Ozawa on suspicion of assaulting Ichikawa's eldest son. Police had also taken measures to evacuate the son. However, this did not prevent the crime from being committed against the family.
'Yesterday [May 19] was Naoto's 21st birthday,' Ichikawa said. 'I spent the whole day thinking, 'What kind of 21 year old would he have been?' Anna will be 28 on her birthday, so she is at that age where she would have started a family and raised children. But a life surrounded by many grandchildren is no longer possible, and that has become the future for me and my wife.'
On the night of May 26, 2020, gang member Sho Ozawa shot and killed two people in the town of Sakaki (X) False rumors
Adding to the pain are the 'false rumors' and 'slander,' such as 'the eldest son had ties to a gang' and 'it's the father's fault for not letting him escape.'
'The loss of two children is already painful for our family, and the secondary damage adds even more to the suffering. It's been a difficult five years,' said Ichikawa.
The government is offering some support.
In 2022, the prefecture enacted the Crime Victim Support Ordinance, which includes the payment of condolence money to bereaved families and victims.
The movement for such support by municipalities accelerated following the murder of four people in Nakano City in 2023. Currently, 73 of the 77 municipalities have ordinances in place. The remaining four municipalities are expected to enact their ordinances by fiscal 2025.
Ichikawa said, 'I believe that being in a stable economic environment is absolutely necessary for the psychological damage caused by crime to heal, so this ordinance will allow for significant assistance to victims. I think it is a big step forward that [support] has become possible thanks to the enactment of the ordinance.' 'Tomoni-kai'
'Tomoni-kai' was launched last year by citizen volunteers in Chikuma City, Nagano Prefecture. In order to spread understanding about crime victim support, the group meets once a month to learn about the current state of efforts nationwide. Ichikawa also participated in the activity on May 17.
'Tomoni-kai' representative Yamazaki Kazuo said, 'In everyday life, it is difficult to understand the feelings, living conditions and hardships of those who have become victims of crime. It is very important to actively look at the crimes that occur every day in the world from the victim's perspective.'
Ichikawa said, 'It is important to let people know, and if you feel that the voices of the victims are strongly needed when talking about the reality, we would like to cooperate.'
Five years have passed since the incident. Ichikawa said he would like to continue to share his experiences and thoughts as a victim in order to expand support for crime victims.
'It is true that there are still some areas that have not been noticed and some areas that I think can be done. The bereaved families of victims of violent crimes are so confused that they do not know what to ask for, and they lose sight of themselves for a long period of time, so I think it is necessary to understand this and use your imagination to create support,' he said.
