Murdered Japanese man in Mexico identified

Wednesday 30th April, 10:09 AM JST

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thepossum at 12:53 PM JST - 30th April

Yes Rjd-jr, you are probably right. This poor little nihonjin was probably just out walking his sick granny when some mexican thug bushwhacked him from behind in an attempt to steal his rolex, diamond ring, and millions of yen the Japanese are known to carry in their pocket. Yep, I'm sure that's exactly how it went down ! Poor Japanese male killed for no reason in a foreign land known to harbor criminals behind every tree !

He-he-he... haw-haw... hardy har har !
JeromeInJapan at 02:40 PM JST - 30th April

Prosecutors say an unidentified gunman sprayed businessman Hiroshi Kato with bullets Monday outside the offices of the fisheries firm Operadora Pesquera de Oriente. The company exports tuna to Japan.

Police do not yet have information on a possible motive.

Ensenada is located in the northwestern Mexican state of Baja California, also the home to the tough border city of Tijuana.

Tijuana has been hit by a wave of violent crime and drug shootouts in recent months.
JeromeInJapan at 02:50 PM JST - 30th April

All I can say is nobody deserves to die unless the have killed innocent people. But if you are dealing with crime you crime will deal with you. I mean its possible gangsters wanted a piece of the action and he refused but I don't know... like I said before I have my ideas. If im wrong this is a very sad sad world we are living in.
Alphaape at 02:52 PM JST - 30th April

JT, This past weekend, in Tijuana 13 people were killed from gunfights between rival drug gangs. This happend in broad daylight on open streets. So it could not be far fetched that this poor gentleman was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Just my wild guess, but since Ensenada is a port city, probably looking around to rent a charter for some deep sea fishing; but if he was near a fisheries firm (a good way to get smuggled drugs into Amercia is via boats if you don't believe do a search on the latest drug busts conducted by the USN/Coast Guard on ships that they have busted and the tons of drugs seized) who probably was in the smuggling business that had a beef with a rival or any number of things.

Just my speculations, but the point I am trying to get is that there is rampant lawlessness in Mexico. For those in the JT nation who decry the US and our hand guns, all guns are illegal in Mexico, and even US citizens in border areas who accidently cross with them in the car are put in jail. So it seems the only ones who have guns are outlaws. So what good does a gun ban do?

RIP to this man and his family.

So,
nimbus at 03:38 AM JST - 1st May

My guess is failed extortion and this is a message to the Jp company he worked for.
Nessie at 10:13 AM JST - 1st May

Ensenada is a port city located near the U.S. border in the northern California Peninsula.

Shouldn't that be Baja Peninsula or Baja California Peninsula of Lower California Peninsula? I didn't think Mexico was in northern California.
telecasterplayer at 11:06 AM JST - 1st May

You folks making assumptions about the murder victim's involvement in some sort of wrongdoing are certainly reaching. There's no indication he did anything wrong. And for all you folks know, he night have been killed for refusing some crude organized crime effort to use the fish exporting business to smuggle contraband. However, the AP has a photograph of the crime scene, with a partial view of the victim.. it sure does looks like a targeted assassination, not a robbery.
kostasy at 07:58 PM JST - 1st May

Well, folks, I have worked for this company and although I did not know that particular person, I know a lot of people who worked in Ensenada for Explorer, either on a long term basis or short term doing their internships. It is a shame people are making assumptions whithout knowledge of the background in this case. Human trafficking, drugs, ppff, what else next? Do you have any idea how much the VP of a tuna export business earn per year? Why would he be involved in shady business? RIP Katou san
FishScratchFever at 02:56 PM JST - 3rd May

"trouble" doesn't have to mean "crime."

There are so many possibilities...

problems with a rival company... someone wanting a piece of the pie... shady business practices, or the refusal to cooporate with someone else's shady practices... having seen or known about something that he shouldn't have...

etc.

but nothing specific is reported yet so nobody should be jumping to any conclusions on this unless they had some kind of connection to this guy.
CMEANDU26 at 10:55 AM JST - 7th May

Jumping to any conclusions. We are doing the same thing that everyone does when a US service member is in trouble. He is guilty until proven innocent. I can speculate too right? I think that this guy got his self in trouble. Maybe they should kick all the Japanese fishermen out of Mexico so that this does not happen again.
nigelboy at 11:15 AM JST - 7th May

He is guilty until proven innocent. I can speculate too right? I think that this guy got his self in trouble.

Twisted logic.

He is a "victim" of a crime. US service members who are in the news are not "victims" of a crime.
CMEANDU26 at 10:04 AM JST - 8th May

No they are not but they are not guilty until all the evidence. When something happens and it involves them the first words out is that he is wrong or kick the military out of Japan. I can speculate that this guy was in the wrong. Just so happend he is not her to tell his side or have his side of the story flipped around on him.
CMEANDU26 at 10:05 AM JST - 8th May

I meant to say: They are guilty until proven innocent. So I will do the same.
nigelboy at 10:13 AM JST - 8th May

Guilty of what CMEANDU26?? You can't even spell out the specific crime this person was allegedly involved in and yet you brand him "guilty". How absurd is that???
CMEANDU26 at 10:36 AM JST - 8th May

It's just as absurd as saying that he is guilty with out hearing all the information. I know it's messed up but I am just doing what everyone else is doing?

nigelboy - I am not saying that this guy deserved what happened to him. I don't know if he was even in the wrong. But what I do know is that whenever a US military member is accused of anything the first thing that anyone does is say that he is guilty not matter what. So if a Japanese person does something and we don't know what happened or what went wrong and I say that he did something wrong how is that any different. Not trying to pick a fight...serves no purpose here. Just wanted to jump on the bandwagon I see here.