On 5 August 2002, the Mabuchi Motor president's home in Matsudo, Chiba Prefecture, was set on fire, and the bodies of his wife, Etsuko (悦子), and eldest daughter, Yuka (由香), were found strangled in the ruins. The theft of cash and jewelry was also reported.
On 5 August 2002, the Mabuchi Motor president's home in Matsudo, Chiba Prefecture, was set on fire, and his wife, Etsuko (悦子), and eldest daughter, Yuka (由香), were found dead in the ruins. There were also signs that adhesive tape had been used, and much of the jewelry inside the house was missing.
According to media reports, rings and luxury watches with a total value of at least ¥13 million had been taken as stolen property. The president himself was unharmed, and no detailed account of the circumstances at the time of the incident had been reported.
Mabuchi Motor is known as a global leading manufacturer of small motors. One of its founders, Ryuichi (隆一), established the predecessor company in 1954. He grew the business together with his older brother, Kenichi (健一), and the incident at the family home was reported to have shaken the company and its founding family.
The incident was reported as a serious case involving arson at the president's home and multiple bodies, with the progress of the investigation and the release of new information expected to remain the focus going forward.