was a

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

serial killer A serial killer is typically a person who murders three or more persons,A * * * * with the murders taking place over more than a month and including a significant period of time between them. While most authorities set a threshold of three ...

. Between March 31, 1971 and May 10, 1971, he

rape Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse or other forms of sexual penetration carried out against a person without their consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or ag ...

d and

murder Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification (jurisprudence), justification or valid excuse (legal), excuse, especially the unlawful killing of another human with malice aforethought. ("The killing of another person wit ...

ed eight women. He used a pen name, Tanigawa Ivan (谷川伊凡).

Early life

Ōkubo was born in

Takasaki is a city located in Gunma Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 372,369 in 167,345 households, and a population density of 810 persons per km². The total area of the city is . Takasaki is famous as the hometown of th ...

Gunma Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Gunma Prefecture has a population of 1,937,626 (1 October 2019) and has a geographic area of 6,362 km2 (2,456 sq mi). Gunma Prefecture borders Niigata Prefecture and Fukushima ...

. He was a quarter

Russian Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including: *Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...

. His mother, who was half Russian and half Japanese, doted on him even after he grew up. He was

bullied Bullying is the use of force, coercion, hurtful teasing or threat, to abuse, aggressively dominate or intimidate. The behavior is often repeated and habitual. One essential prerequisite is the perception (by the bully or by others) of an im ...

by other children after the

Pacific War The Pacific War, sometimes called the Asia–Pacific War, was the theater of World War II that was fought in Asia, the Pacific Ocean, the Indian Ocean, and Oceania. It was geographically the largest theater of the war, including the vast ...

began on December 8, 1941. He raped a woman on July 12, 1955. On December 26, 1955, he attempted to rape another woman, but was unsuccessful. He was arrested, put in jail, and then released on December 15, 1959. On April 16, 1960, he attempted to rape another woman, but was again unsuccessful. The victim, however, withdrew the charge. On May 5, 1961, he married a woman and had a son and a daughter. He threatened a man on June 3, 1965, and then raped two women on December 23, 1966 and February 24, 1967. On June 7, 1967, he went to prison. He was released on March 3, 1971.

Murders

Between March 31 and May 10, 1971, he killed eight women. On May 13, a 21-year-old woman disappeared, and her brother traced her. He found Ōkubo and the police finally arrested him on May 14, 1971. # Miyako Tsuda (津田美也子 ''Tsuda Miyako'') - 17 years old # Mieko Oikawa (老川美枝子 ''Oikawa Mieko'') - 17 years old # Chieko Ida (伊田千恵子 ''Ida Chieko'') - 19 years old # Seiko Kawabata (川端成子 ''Kawabata Seiko'') - 17 years old # Akemi Sato (佐藤明美 ''Satō Akemi'') - 16 years old # Kazuyo Kawaho (川保和代 ''Kawaho Kazuyo'') - 18 years old # Reiko Takemura (竹村礼子 ''Takemura Reiko'') - 21 years old # Naoko Takanohashi (鷹嘴直子 ''Takanohashi Naoko'') - 21 years old

Trial and execution

The district court in

Maebashi is the capital city of Gunma Prefecture, in the northern Kantō region of Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 335,352 in 151,171 households, and a population density of 1100 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . It wa ...

sentenced Ōkubo to

death Death is the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain an organism. For organisms with a brain, death can also be defined as the irreversible cessation of functioning of the whole brain, including brainstem, and brain ...

hanging Hanging is the suspension of a person by a noose or ligature around the neck.Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed. Hanging as method of execution is unknown, as method of suicide from 1325. The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' states that hanging i ...

on February 22, 1973. He did not

appeal In law, an appeal is the process in which cases are reviewed by a higher authority, where parties request a formal change to an official decision. Appeals function both as a process for error correction as well as a process of clarifying and ...

and was executed on January 22, 1976. It was reported that he couldn't stand up on the day of his execution.

TV drama

On August 29, 1983, Ōkubo's crime became a TV drama, .

Takeshi Kitano is a Japanese comedian, television presenter, actor, filmmaker, and author. While he is known primarily as a comedian and TV host in his native Japan, he is better known abroad for his work as a filmmaker and actor as well as TV host. With th ...

played Ōkubo in the drama.

External links

Profile Laboratory: Kiyoshi Ōkubo

{{DEFAULTSORT:Okubo, Kiyoshi 1935 births 1976 deaths 20th-century executions by Japan Executed Japanese serial killers Japanese people convicted of murder Japanese murderers of children Japanese people of Russian descent Japanese rapists Male serial killers People convicted of murder by Japan People executed by Japan by hanging People from Takasaki, Gunma

Early life

Murders

Trial and execution

TV drama

See also

External links