New details are rapidly coming from the Japanese media in the case of the only suspect in the murder of a British English language in 2007. Suspect Tatsuya Ichihashi is believed to have received surgery on his nose in Nagoya city in late October in an effort to help disguise his identity.
According to TBS news, under a false name and fake address listed in Osaka, a man strongly resembling Ichihashi underwent plastic surgery to have his nose raised on October 24th at a hospital close to Nagoya station. He was scheduled for a follow-up visit, but never came. TBS also reported that if the man is Ichihashi, it appears he may have already undergone other cosmetic procedures, including the removal of two distinguishing small facial moles and the creation of double eyelids.
It seems that that the man has likely been using hospitals in multiple cities around Japan. One report from the Asahi mentioned a hospital in Osaka. Another report from the Mainichi stated that a man with a similar appearance used the same fake name as in Nagoya to apply for surgery at a hospital in Fukuoka. He never appeared for his scheduled date.
The murdered victim’s father told press from his home in England, “If it’s true that he’s had the surgery, and he’s had it in Nagoya, I would ask the people of Nagoya to look for a man who probably is wearing sunglasses, or has scars; and I would ask all of the medical profession to please look for this man, he must require follow up procedures.”
It is speculated that Ichihashi has likely been using the Japanese bullet train to travel around the country. Some are questioning whether he is receiving some kind of help with living and financial arrangements.
The victim’s father also said, “All we want as a family is justice, that’s all we’ve said. It’s 2-1/2 years, almost 2-3/4 years, and we haven’t got justice, and justice looks like it’s further away from us now than it’s ever been.
Ichihashi is wanted on the technical charge of abandonment of a corpse in the case of the murder of Lindsay Ann Hawker outside of Tokyo in March of 2007. There is a 10,000,000 yen (approximately $110,000 USD) reward for information leading to his arrest.
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