The Shinjuku–Kabukicho Love Hotel murders is the nickname given to an unsolved series of murders committed in the

Shinjuku , officially called Shinjuku City, is a special ward of Tokyo, Japan. It is a major commercial and administrative center, housing the northern half of the busiest railway station in the world ( Shinjuku Station) as well as the Tokyo Metropol ...

and Kabukicho areas of

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

in 1981. The three victims, all women, were strangled to death in

love hotel A love hotel is a type of short-stay hotel found around the world operated primarily for the purpose of allowing guests privacy for sex. The name originates from "Hotel Love" in Osaka, Japan. Although love hotels exist all over the world, the ...

s at night. The murders only stopped after a fourth victim survived.

Murders

Hostess A

The first victim, known under the

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true meaning ( orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individual's o ...

of ''Hostess A'', was last seen alive checking into room 401 of the ''New El Sky'' hotel with a young man on March 19, 1981. A day later, at about 10 a.m., there was no sign of the victim, who was supposed to have checked out of the hotel by that time. This caused an

employee Employment is a relationship between two party (law), parties Regulation, regulating the provision of paid Labour (human activity), labour services. Usually based on a employment contract, contract, one party, the employer, which might be a cor ...

to enter her hotel room, where they found the victim

strangled Strangling or strangulation is compression of the neck that may lead to unconsciousness or death by causing an increasingly hypoxic state in the brain by restricting the flow of oxygen through the trachea. Fatal strangulation typically occurs ...

to death. An ID found on her identified her as a local 33-year-old hostess. However, her ID turned out to be fraudulent. She was actually a 45-year-old woman who abandoned her family in 1975 to live in Kabukicho. Authorities speculated that she might have worked as a

prostitute Prostitution is a type of sex work that involves engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, non-pe ...

prior to her death, and that the murderer may have picked her up from her

cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, casino, hotel, restaurant, or nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or drinking, ...

job.

Hostess B

The second victim, known as ''Hostess B'', was strangled to death with her

pantyhose Pantyhose, sometimes also called sheer (textile), sheer tights, are close-fitting legwear covering the wearer's body from the waist to the toes. Pantyhose first appeared on store shelves in 1959 for the advertisement of new design panties (All ...

on the night of April 25, 1981. About an hour before her body was discovered, she was seen checking into room 203 of the ''Coca Palace'' hotel with a man. All of her clothes were missing except for her

yukata A is an unlined cotton summer kimono, worn in casual settings such as summer festivals and to nearby bathhouses. The name is translated literally as "bathing cloth" and originally were worn as bathrobes; their modern use is much broader, and ar ...

. The murderer left behind a few insignificant items of the victim, such as her

earring Earrings are jewelry that can be worn on one's ears. Earrings are commonly worn in a piercing in the earlobe or another external part of the ear, or by #Clip-on and other non-pierced earrings, some other means, such as stickers or clip-ons. Earr ...

sandal Sandals are an open type of shoe, consisting of a sole held to the wearer's foot by straps going over the instep and around the ankle. Sandals can also have a heel. While the distinction between sandals and other types of footwear can sometim ...

cigarette A cigarette is a narrow cylinder containing a combustible material, typically tobacco, that is rolled into Rolling paper, thin paper for smoking. The cigarette is ignited at one end, causing it to smolder; the resulting smoke is orally inhale ...

s, and a

lighter A lighter is a portable device which uses mechanical or electrical means to create a controlled flame, and can be used to ignite a variety of flammable items, such as cigarettes, butane gas, fireworks, candles, or campfires. A lighter typic ...

. The victim was estimated to be about 20-years-old and 157

centimeters upright=1.35, Different lengths as in respect to the electromagnetic spectrum, measured by the metre and its derived scales. The microwave is in-between 1 meter to 1 millimeter. A centimetre (International spelling) or centimeter (American ...

(5'1) tall. She was also believed to be Taiwanese. Due to the police being unable to identify her, they released a sketch of the victim to the public. However, this led to no results. The authorities believe that she may have lived in a

rural area In general, a rural area or a countryside is a geographic area that is located outside towns and cities. Typical rural areas have a low population density and small settlements. Agricultural areas and areas with forestry are typically desc ...

because she had clean lungs and unhealthy teeth.

Shoujo A

On June 14, 1981, the third victim, known under the alias of ''Shoujo A'', was last seen alive checking into a hotel room at the ''Higashioka'' hotel with a man. The man later walked out of the hotel alone and passed two employees on his way out of the building. The witnesses said that the man wore a

suit A suit, also called a lounge suit, business suit, dress suit, or formal suit, is a set of clothes comprising a suit jacket and trousers of identical textiles generally worn with a collared dress shirt, necktie, and dress shoes. A skirt su ...

. Because of the recent murders, the employees were suspicious of the man, and checked his hotel room. In the room, they found the victim with her hands and feet tied, and pantyhose wrapped around her neck. When she was found, she was still alive, but later died in the hospital. The victim was later identified as a 17-year-old girl who lived in Kawaguchi city. During her autopsy, coffee was found in her stomach. This led authorities to believe that she met the murderer in a coffee shop.

Attempted murder

On June 25, 1981, a 30-year-old hostess in an arcade was invited by a man to a love hotel. After checking in to the hotel at about 11 p.m., the man began to strangle the woman. The woman fought back against her attacker, causing him to steal her wallet and run away.

Similarities between murders

Police linked all of the murders and the attempted murder to the same unknown suspect due to the similar circumstances of the crimes. In all three murders, a

stimulant Stimulants (also known as central nervous system stimulants, or psychostimulants, or colloquially as uppers) are a class of drugs that increase alertness. They are used for various purposes, such as enhancing attention, motivation, cognition, ...

was detected in the victims. No injection marks were found victims, so it's believed that they ingested the drug orally. It's also unknown whether the victims took the drugs forcefully or consensually. Additionally, the second and third victims were both strangled with their pantyhose, and the strangling method in third and fourth cases are similar.

Suspect

The suspect was described by witnesses as a young, well-dressed man who is about 160 centimeters (5'2) tall. In the third and fourth incidents, he wore black-rimmed glasses, and had a round-face. Despite being seen by multiple witnesses and the surviving victim, a composite sketch of the murderer was never made.

Aftermath

After the murders, it became standard practice to install

security cameras Closed-circuit television (CCTV), also known as video surveillance, is the use of closed-circuit television cameras to transmit a signal to a specific place on a limited set of monitors. It differs from broadcast television in that the signal ...

in love hotels. Additionally, the murders reinforced the perception that Kabukicho was a dangerous place. In 2016, rumors spread in Japan that a fire broke out at a hotel where one of the victims was murdered, killing a woman in her sixties. The legend also states that two days after the first fire, another fire destroyed the hotel where another victim was murdered. These rumors were proven false after it was discovered that the hotels went out of business before 2016.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shinjuku-Kabukicho Love Hotel murders 1981 murders in Asia Deaths by strangulation Serial murders in Japan Unidentified Japanese serial killers Unidentified murder victims Unsolved murders in Japan Violence against women in Japan