Son accused of stabbing mother to death in Japan allegedly asked police who would have cared for her

Yohei Ogawa shared a home with his 74-year-old mother, Harumi Ogawa, in Takarazuka City, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan. The 48-year-old company employee was arrested on Friday after police accused him of stabbing her to death, as reported by People and MBS. Harumi, who used a wheelchair, managed to call police herself after the attack.

The incident occurred at around 8:50 p.m. on Monday. Harumi was stabbed several times in the neck and abdomen with a paring knife, which had a blade of roughly 12 centimeters. Despite her injuries, she phoned police at around 9 p.m. “My son stabbed me,” Harumi Ogawa told them.

When officers arrived at the scene, they found her unconscious in the dining room. She was taken to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead about 90 minutes after the attack. Yohei Ogawa was also found with stab wounds to his abdomen, which police believe were self-inflicted.

He had apparently called police three days earlier asking what would happen to his mother

Yohei Ogawa contacted police three days before the incident to ask about his mother’s care. Police said he told officers that she used a wheelchair and that his own health sometimes suffered. He asked whether she could be taken into protective care if something happened to him, as the two lived alone together.

Officers initially arrested Yohei Ogawa at the home on suspicion of attempted murder. However, he was released temporarily because his injuries required treatment at a separate hospital. Police took him back into custody on suspicion of murder on Friday, after his discharge.

He has allegedly admitted to the accusation. “I stabbed her several times with the intent to kill,” Yohei Ogawa told police. The admission recalls a recent case in which police said a Colorado man was allegedly accused by his wife of not paying attention to her, only to find her holding a shotgun. 

Police have not disclosed a motive. However, Japan’s Health Ministry has tracked deaths inside caregiving households for nearly two decades. Its data shows 486 people aged 65 or older died between fiscal 2006 and 2024 from killings or abuse by relatives who had been caring for them.

Murder and murder-suicide cases, including attempts, made up 220 of those deaths. About 54% of the affected households were not using long-term care services when the incidents happened, based on ministry figures collected since fiscal 2009. A decision on whether to indict Yohei Ogawa for murder is likely by early November, as Japanese law lets prosecutors hold a suspect for up to 23 days after arrest before making that call.