crime

Woman stabs husband after years of marital distress

48 Comments

Police arrested a woman in Hashimoto City, Wakayama Prefecture, early Tuesday for attempted murder after she allegedly stabbed her husband in the neck with a kitchen knife.

According to police, 62-year-old Naoko Kitado stabbed her husband, Masahiko, 58, after years of unhappiness built up and suddenly exploded into a violent rage. "He never even took me to dinner," police quoted her as saying. "I stabbed him with the intention of killing him."

Police said that, at the end of last year, the couple had an argument that resulted in Masahiko throwing his wife over the balcony, an incident that made national news. Late Monday evening, Naoko reportedly grabbed a knife from the kitchen and stabbed her husband in the back of the neck. She then called police, who arrested her at the scene.

Masahiko was rushed to the hospital with serious injuries, but hospital officials say he is in good condition.

Naoko has testified to police that she chased him around with the knife before stabbing him with the intent to kill. "My husband is always apathetic and it made me angry," she was quoted as saying.

© News reports

©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.

48 Comments
Login to comment

Tonight I am taking my wife out for dinner.An copy cat can be fatal.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

look.... Japanese dudes care about one thing. Themselves. Just have a peak at their pornographic movies. But on the other hand it has always been this way. Didnt a guy toss his wife out the window last week?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Ok trying to kill someone is wrong, but... if he's tossed her over a balcony before, I can only imagine what else happened between these two. Also, wouldn't tossing someone over a balcony be like attempted murder? I'm just wondering how they were still living together in the first place after something like that.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

my2sense....What exactly does pornographic movies have to do with this story? And stop generalizing about all Japanese "dudes." This is just one example of a a jerk...

0 ( +0 / -0 )

My2sense... That WAS the guy...

The man threw her over the balcony last week and he was not in jail. Shouldn't he have been charged with attempted murder or at the very least still been in jail awaiting charges???

This must be an example of domestic disputes not being "real" crimes in Japan.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

That's why I never dated J men....all the news I heard are so scary!

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Is it wrong that I laughed when I read this?

I can't help but feel sorry for the poor state of the raltionship, though. They should've divorced a long time ago!

0 ( +0 / -0 )

What obstacles couldn't be overcome to make separation an option?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

“My husband is always apathetic and it made me angry,” she was quoted as saying.

He can't be that apathetic if he lobbed her off a balcony.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

What is really bad is that she will get off with a suspended sentence.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Your husband is apathetic? Naoko - take a look at yourself love. You are the one that has remained in a relationship with someone that you hate so much that you stabbed in the neck!

0 ( +0 / -0 )

He threw her off the balcony?? How many floors was it? Injuries? And he wasn't sentenced??

Isn't it a bit unfair to charge her with attempted murder but to have let him off scot-free?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

It was a different guy that threw his wife off the balcony last week - they had a 4 year old and a one month old. Worrying trend though...

0 ( +0 / -0 )

"Tonight I am taking my wife out for dinner.An copy cat can be fatal."

These kinds of stories are good for the restaurant business. My advice would be to splurge for a little more than gyoza and noodles guys, if you want to reach a ripe old age.

"Is it wrong that I laughed when I read this?"

Chotto dake. haha. I kind of laughed too. It is funny in a dark way because it is very very human, and the lady is not lying. Frankly, I have seen many stories of people stabbed for stupider reasons. Being unloved for ... well... forever, despite being faithful and loving... that can be tough. It is sad, but not surprising at all. Just to be circumspect, if my wife stabbed me for this reason, I would deserve it. I probably would not press charges.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Her hubby sounds like most Japanese men. Watch your backs, J-guys.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I can't help but feel sorry for the poor state of the raltionship, though. They should've divorced a long time ago!

divorce is not a very attractive option in japan given that the laws heavily favor men.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

divorce is not a very attractive option in japan given that the laws heavily favor men.

whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat???????????? are you serious?? The woman, in 99.99999% of the cases gets custody of the children. This for me would be the only concern if I was divorced. Divorce laws heavily favour the woman in Japan.

Being unloved for ... well... forever, despite being faithful and loving... that can be tough.

where in the story does it say that she was faithful and loving?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

she chased him around with the knife before stabbing him with the intent to kill

when docile j-wives go bad

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Crazy story! Obvious question is why the heck didn't she get out of this relationship a long time ago. They've likely been married for 30 years. If they have any kids, they are grown up. So just divorce the dude. The wife can get up to 50% of his pension.

The other big question is what happened to the man after he threw her off the balcony? Was he arrested? Did they just go back to living together after that? Perhaps he had abused her before and she was afraid to leave him. Otherwise it just doesn't make sense.

On a side note, my husband took me out for dinner and bought me a ring last night!! Okay, it was a family restaurant and a mood ring but he is a super sweet Japanese guy! So please don't generalize and say all Japanese guys are selfish or uncaring. As with any nationality, you have the good, the bad and the ugly. The pair in this article definitely fall into category three.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

OK, you win! Sometimes divorce it a good thing... I get it now! But then again, they are prefect for each other!

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I use a 2x4 to prevent my wife from coming into my bedroom to do me in. It works.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

They should develop a new video game around these two - could call it Marital Combat.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

There is only One way to fight a woman!(any woman) GRAB YOUR HAT AND RUNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!!

0 ( +0 / -0 )

They should develop a new video game around these two - could call it Marital Combat.

"FINISH HIMMMMMMMMMM/HERRRRRRRRRRR"

presses combination to throw character off balcony

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I can completely understand this woman. I have been in a marriage like this for years. After the first year I wanted to leave, but he told me if you leave .. I will commit suicide.. so I stayed.. Then as the kids get older and get into the education system here.. it gets harder and harder to leave... I am now waiting for my kids to finish uni and then... I am off... hopefully before anything terrible should happen. Divorce is sometimes not an option in this country. Perhaps i thought too much about my kids and their future rather than my own. It is very difficult to decide what is for the best. I decided to stay.... But that is what I decided..and I must beleive that what I did was the best way..But every married couple have their own way... so before you say.. why didnt she divorce him.. It is not a cut and dried thing for many people. Also judging from her age... divorce was just not the done thing in some families at that time.

For some people divorce is an option, for some people it is not.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Why are these idiots still together? Must be some great make-up sex!

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Good for her. Sometimes it's the only way out.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

"Why are these idiots still together? Must be some great make-up sex!"

I call Altria, a general lack of imagination and a willingness to accept change. I think sex at this age never happens. I had one friend in his 70s whose wife told him, "no more touching me down there" and then when he hugged her, she froze up. Frankly, there would have been a quick change if I was him. Yet, this domestic violence today is something that most women want to do. I have heard again and again and again from so many older Japanese women how much they do not like their husbands. Basically, the term "gomi" comes up. I think "burnt the hell out" is a better term. But frankly, I really don't know why ANYONE would ever get marriage. Everything goes to hell once that paper gets signed. As one friend noted, the sex changes very quickly. The romance dies with the "certainty" and everything quickly becomes a roleplay. (I am, however, quite the hypocrite in this regard now that I am into my 20th year of marriage that is fine). Anyhow, all too often, women simply marry to "gold-dig" the guy endlessly. It is the white van, then the condo, then the endless clothes. In short, the women at my university, I think, view the men as robots, and the men view the women as self-centered individuals who care only about money. Both genders, I think, really do not like each other, lets say even hate each other, and marriage is never, never considered as a realistic option. Men see no point to it, as the women do not know how to cook, and the women see no point to it as they plan to work, and not be maids. Besides, the men are coming home at 11 p.m. and are so burnt out. But, really, do you need some stinking priest (a guy in a halloween costume) to mumble some words over you and to sign a paper before you have guilt-free sex, and am responsible for your relationship? As it (marriage) is not working out so well (2 out 3 marriages break up), it is better to move on to something else. If we should have marriages, it should be in a detailed contract with a limited number of years, which can then be renewed. The churches should accept this as they get more marriages out of the arrangement; money talks.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Dangerous - anesan nyoubou.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

She should be sent free and given meadl. He is a monster and should be put into the ZOO on display. I don't blame this woman at all. Who the hell her husband think he is???

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I am an anesan nyoubou... and I consider myself... very dangerous.. thank you.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

10 bucks says that she gets less prison time than a man would in the same situation.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Strange to me that a lot of the women feel resentful toward their husbands once they actually get close to the age that they don't have to work anymore or soon after they retire.

40-50 years of a wife being home alone all day able to do anything they want while hubby slaves at the office is not enough? Then they resent him being at home when he is finally done with his life's work?

For me, how about a little bit of OTSUKARESAMA and leave me alone for a couple of months/years to recover from a lifetime and start enjoying what little bit of my life is left?

Apathetic? Evidently not, as he cared enough to actually get out of the chair and throw her off the balcony..... and she was kind enough to repay him by stabbing him in the neck. If you do that to your wife, I think you should expect something bad to happen to you in return, I doubt he was shocked when it happened. Sounds even now, so they can both quit before something else more permanent happens to one or both of them.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

TheRat: I like the idea of having a marriage contract which is limited and then can be renewed!! I am married but honestly I didn't go into it thinking it would last forever. Hoping, maybe but it really isn't realistic to expect a couple to stay together 'til death do us part'. We do need to reconsider and redefine this thing we call marriage.

tinkerbell: I respect that you stuck it out for your kids. My mother did the same thing. As soon as she had the chance, she was outta there and it worked out for the best for everyone concerned. Remember that if you are a happy mom, you're kids will sense this and likely be happy too!

0 ( +0 / -0 )

so funny first he tries to get rid of her by throwing her off a balcony and fails

Then she tries to stab him in the neck and fails..........the keystone Japanese.

Marital distress, what the F*** which couples don`t have that today.

At their ages, give them a pair of boxing gloves each and let them duke it out.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Marriage is an institution. Sounds like these two need to be institutionalized, though. The article doesn't mention if they have any kids, but I hope they don't. No children should have to live with people like this. I'd say the blame lies with both of them for creating a culture of violence in their home, but that's not exactly the case.

In a country with so few resources for victims of DV (men and women), it's difficult to blame this wife for lashing out after years of abuse.

@tinkerbell- I respect your choice, but I hope you can find help if your situation gets worse. You have the noblest intentions, but his abuse may increase in the future. So I urge you to look into your options before it is too late, for your children's sake.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

ok, the first quarrel and he threw her over a balcony. Then they quarrel again and she stab him in the neck. Sounds fair to me.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

**tinkerbell28 at 04:08 PM JST - 6th January

*I can completely understand this woman. I have been in a marriage like this for years. After the first year I wanted to leave, but he told me if you leave .. I will commit suicide.. so I stayed.. ***

I love my husband very much and everything but...deja vu! Those are exactly the same words he told me before about what would happen if I ever leave him. "I'll kill myself, because I can't live without you and the children" Again, DEJA VU! Is he Japanese? mine is, though. O_O About this woman, sheesh, I can't believe the j-cops let that scum-man walk away so easily. Now he got what he really deserved. He threw this woman out of a balcony from a 5th floor, people! Pathetic!

0 ( +0 / -0 )

but hospital officials say he is in good condition

what a bad luck :( her miseries will multiply from today !

0 ( +0 / -0 )

My husband threatened to kill himself when I talked about leaving after MAJOR problems a year into our marriage. Yes, I think it is a Japanese guy thing....

0 ( +0 / -0 )

tinkerbell28 (and others) If you are not happy, then you are the one responsible to change your situation. Threatening suicide is a control tactic, don't let it stop you. Most would never follow up on the threat. My daughter was married to a Japanese who also threatened to kill himself if she left. He didn't of course, and now he's making statements that she should be the one to die. Do you want to be miserable the rest of your life just to make a person like that happy?

Moderator: All readers, please stay on topic. Please discuss the topic, not your own lives.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Ok then, back to topic! kira, tinkerbell, sensei: Let's hope the man in this story gets well again so she can go and stab him again and die this time for good. If I was this woman, I'll take this guy and roast him inside my oven and feed him to the cats at home. lol but then that's just me...and then some.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Yes, back on topic... sensei... I do not do it to keep that person happy. beleive me.

I have started a new topic in the forum list if anyone is interested in talking about either this topic or their personal experiences or for anyone who would like to give advice. Love sex and relationships section.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Surely, she had better reasons than the ones quoted in the article: apathy and dinner!!

0 ( +0 / -0 )

TheRat: I agree. Marriage is against human nature. It just is not natural for people to spend years together with the same person. I like the idea of limited marriages though.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Hang on, hang on. Wasn't there just an incident of a husband throwing his wife off the balcony reported not that long ago here on JT? It was a much younger couple; I remember they had two very young children. So, is wife-tossing-off-a-balcony some kind of new tradition of crazy in Japan, or has it always been around?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Yes, previous posts noted that. Yeah new trend, if you're tired of your partner just throw them off the balcony! You heard it first here in J-land!

0 ( +0 / -0 )

My wife and I have been unhappy together for years - until recently. Nothing but NOTHING, is worth killing someone over. If you're not happy with your marriage either FIX IT, or LEAVE! If your partner threatens to kill himself/herself - DON'T let them hold you to emotional ransom with such a threat. Say "That's your choice, not mine!" - if they think they can't live without you, then they need to take a serious look at their own life and contemplate why they are relying on you to make them happy! I told my wife that I wasn't happy and I could see she wasn't happy either. I also told her that if she wanted to separate from me, we could do that, as I want her to be happy. That was last month. We're still together and she and I took a long hard look at why we were not happy together and have been working to resolve those problems. So far so good. She is Japanese, I'm English. I love my wife very much, enough to want to make amends and make things work. But if you're stuck in a relationship and there really is no hope to save it - leave it, but don't kill or injure your partner because you're not happy!

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Login to leave a comment

Facebook users

Use your Facebook account to login or register with JapanToday. By doing so, you will also receive an email inviting you to receive our news alerts.

Facebook Connect

Login with your JapanToday account

User registration

Articles, Offers & Useful Resources

A mix of what's trending on our other sites