Police have released this sketch of how Tatsuya Ichihashi looked while he worked at an Osaka construction company.

Ichihashi's fingerprints found in Osaka construction company dorm

Tuesday 10th November, 12:51 AM JST

OSAKA —

The fingerprints of a man wanted in connection with the 2007 murder of a British woman in Chiba Prefecture has been found in a dormitory of a construction company in Ibaraki, Osaka Prefecture, investigative sources said Monday.

The finding by Osaka prefectural police suggests Tatsuya Ichihashi, 30, who is the prime suspect in the murder of language school teacher Lindsay Hawker, 22, had been living at the dormitory until recently, the sources said.

The man thought to be Ichihashi had worked at the company for about 14 months until Oct 11, using the name of Kosuke Inoue, company sources said. The construction company employed the man on Aug 19 last year and paid him some 100,000 yen every month, the source said. The man listed his age 33 and said he is a native of Osaka when he applied for a job. He worked at the company Monday through Saturday and said his aim would be to save one million yen, the sources said. A company spokesperson said the man was given meals as well.

A person who is related to the construction company, after seeing the photograph of Ichihashi taken after he underwent cosmetic surgery, notified the police that the company had been employing someone who resembles post-operation Ichihashi, the investigative sources said.

The photograph was released Thursday by Chiba prefectural police after Ichihashi was found to have had plastic surgery which significantly altered his appearance.

Ichihashi was found to have visited a clinic in Nagoya three times after Oct 23 to receive counseling, have plastic surgery on his nose and receive diagnosis after the surgery, the sources said.

Then he was found to have traveled to Fukuoka airport at the end of October by plane, embarkation records showed.

At the beginning of November, a man who appears to be Ichihashi visited an Internet cafe in the city of Fukuoka and presented a membership card.

The membership card appears to be the same card which a man who is likely to be Ichihashi registered in mid-October to become a member of the Internet cafe, the sources said.

The name which had been used to obtain the membership card was the same false name he had used at the clinic in Nagoya, the sources said.

Ichihashi escaped from police on March 26, 2007, when Hawker’s body was found inside a sand-filled bathtub on the balcony of his apartment in Ichikawa, Chiba Prefecture.

The National Police Agency raised the cash reward for information leading to Ichihashi’s arrest from 1 million to 10 million yen in June this year.

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Latest 15 of 103 Total Comments Show All

fishy at 01:16 PM JST - 10th November

WilliB-- right, I wouldn't leave the country at this point if I were Ichihashi.

he WAS planning to, but now that his newly released photos are all over, I don't think he would go anywhere near an airport in any of those big cities.. plus, he wouldn't have money left over. He probably made a little over 1.5 million yen over the year working at the construction company, but spent lots on cosmetic surgery and etc. I think he really is stuck now.
newjapanese at 01:21 PM JST - 10th November

The Japanese Government needs to cancel his passport so it sets off alarmbells at the airports! ...
newjapanese at 01:27 PM JST - 10th November

If he lands in Thailand there are extradition orders between the UK and Thailand. If a Interpol Arrest warrant is issued and he is grabbed in Thailand the British could have him shipped to the UK, Maybe the UK Laws could then deal with him for killing a UK Citizen.　Then again the UK legal system is a Joke, they would give him a slap on the wrists and tell him has been a bad boy and then give him British Citizenship!
Junnama at 01:28 PM JST - 10th November

One can only hope someone like the Thai's get him.
moonbeams at 01:53 PM JST - 10th November

Any chance of some self reflection from the people who assumed his family were providing him money? Oh, it's the internet, right! Shoot first, never think.

No. The family's money should still be investigated. Everyone should be a suspect until proven innocent. We shouldn't just assume innocence.
AEROCASTER at 02:05 PM JST - 10th November

I predict we'll see this guy apprehended soon, in Japan.
eigonosensei at 02:20 PM JST - 10th November

newjapanese- "He has made the Japanese Police look un-professional."

That's not too difficult. The most professional they can look is when they're just standing next to their koban (itty bitty police station). Once they move or open their mouths the comedy starts.
MadokaKato at 03:12 PM JST - 10th November

From what I know, the only international out of Fukuoka is to Chiang Mai or Phucket I think. Maybe Seoul, but there's not many international flights out of Fukuoka.

He's probably out of the country before the police released the updates regarding the plastic surgery and his construction job.

I'm pretty sure he already issued a passport under that alias while he was working at the construction company.

At least we knew where he got the plastic surgery money. Places like the construction job and pachinko parlor gives you room and board so it's quite easy to save money since he doesn't have to worry about paying rent or buying food.
Jbizzle at 03:19 PM JST - 10th November

Fuk airport flies to Korea, USA, Phillipines, China.
jason6 at 03:28 PM JST - 10th November

Everybody forgets the ferries that go to many places from Kyushu.
fishy at 03:37 PM JST - 10th November

maybe he'll use those overnight buses to get out of fukuoka ... i dont think he would show up in fukuoka, nagoya or any of those places reported. cant wait to see him caught!
MadokaKato at 03:51 PM JST - 10th November

He has to be crazy if he is going to fly to the USA. Korea is not a good place to hide either, because no one would be crazy enough to cross to the North if he was in Korea.

He's too popular in China right now since they are making a mockery out of Japanese police by showing so many videos of him in the elevator to the public. I think China also has the video of him and Lindsay in the elevator too.

I think is only choice is Philippines. Isn't Philippines a haven for Japanese criminal??
Jbizzle at 05:10 PM JST - 10th November

All he has to do is wear a mask and glasses and he will never get caught.
Himajin at 10:02 PM JST - 10th November

The picture was drawn by one of his fellow construction workers...they were watching TV and he said 'That's Inoue!' and no one believed him so he drew the beard, and glasses on a picture of Ichihashi because he was sure it was him, once he drew over the picture the other guys agreed it was him, and they called the cops.
thundercat at 10:20 PM JST - 10th November

Saw Ichihashi's parents on the news just now. They seemed very sincere and I'm glad that it doesn't seem they had anything to do with his hiding. Glad he was just caught.