Paraquat murders
Paraquat murders | |
---|---|
Location | Japan |
Date | April 30 – November 17, 1985 |
Attack type | Poisoning (using paraquat and diquat) |
Deaths | 12 killed |
Injured | 35 poisoned |
The paraquat murders were a series of indiscriminate beverage poisonings carried out in western and central Japan in 1985. The drinks were placed in and around
Events
The first victim was poisoned on April 30, 1985. The victim drank a bottle of
At the time,
On September 5, 44-year old executive Takashi Sakai drank two vitamin drinks, which he died from 6 weeks later.[3][5] On September 11, 52-year old Haruo Otsu drank from a free bottle of Oranamin C in Tokyo. He died 52 hours later.[2][3] On September 25, a man in the western prefecture of Wakayama was hospitalized after falling ill, and on September 26, a 40-year old woman in the western prefecture of Shizuoka fell ill.[8] Either Takashi Sakai or a 17-year-old girl from Saitama were the last victim of the murders.[3][5]
Response
While the police had no leads, it was believed that the crimes were organized and executed by a single person. The police also noted how the crimes had no targeted or consistent victims, making it impossible to establish a motive.[2] The culprit was never caught on security cameras, and left no physical evidence.[4] Two of the manufacturers of the most targeted soft drinks, Coca-Cola Japan and Ohtsuka Pharmaceutical, said they had not received any threats or extortion attempts.[6]
On September 27, the National Police Agency in Tokyo declared preparations for a nationwide campaign to prevent further poisonings. Police issued leaflets throughout the city. They warned customers to inspect vending machine slots, suspicious containers and tampered beverage caps, warned vending machine operators to check their merchandise, and urged stores selling poisonous substances to "clamp down" on the substances' illegal buyers, and keep accurate records.[8] Japanese Soft Drink Bottlers Association spokesman Takeo Mizuuchi shifted blame onto victims. He expressed how customers should notice broken seals stating that "if only consumers were more cautious, they would have seen that some tampering had been done." Despite his statement, Mizuuchi issued 1.3 million warning stickers to be placed on vending machines across Tokyo.[2] Warnings were posted on many of Japan's 5.2 million vending machines by both vending machine operators and drink companies. Customers were advised to throw away any free drinks they got from the machines.[3][5][8] The National Soft Drink Manufacturers' Association placed warnings as advertisements in major newspapers. Vending machine manufacturers also planned to install lamps on dispensers that would light up if the slots were tampered with.[6]
The Chicago Tribune reported that experts in various fields at the time of the crimes speculated them to be a manifestation of Japan's orderly, intense, and work-oriented society. Hirkoaki Iwao, a Tokyo professor of criminal sociology said: "It is not uncommon for Japanese who live under tremendous pressure, both on the job and in overcrowded communities, to let out their frustrations by hurting someone else," insinuating that the crimes were an outlet of relief for the criminal.[5] Additionally, Susumu Oda, a mental health specialist at the University of Tsukuba suggested the crimes to be motivated by adrenaline rushes, and a sense of superiority in imagining victims struggling.[2][6]
Aftermath
By December 8, the spree killed at least 10 and made 35 seriously ill.
In 1986, adjustments were made to paraquat and diquat to make it less toxic, though by 2002 it still accounted for 40% of pesticide poisoning deaths.[9]
A potential copycat crime happened in December; in Mie Prefecture, containers of milk served in schools were tainted.[2] In 1998, Japan had another wave of drink poisonings in vending machines, as well as convenience stores.[1] There was also a case of a paraquat poisoning in 2019 in Akita Prefecture.[4][10][11]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e Schwartz, Daniel (Aug 2, 2012). "5 major product tampering cases". CBC. Retrieved Feb 9, 2024.
- ^ ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-03-23.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "The forgotten case of Japan's vending machine serial killer who fatally poisoned 12 people". Yahoo News. 2023-07-04. Retrieved 2024-02-09.
- ^ a b c izumiogawa (2021-09-14). "自販機に置かれた農薬入りドリンク、半年で12人殺害する/9月14日の話". Smart FLASH/スマフラ[光文社週刊誌] (in Japanese). Retrieved 2024-02-09.
- ^ a b c d e f g "New Spate of Poisonings Terrifies Japan". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2022-12-04.
- ^ a b c d "Beverage poisonings kill 10 in Japan - UPI Archives". UPI. Retrieved 2024-02-09.
- ^ a b c Hernon, Matthew (2021-12-10). "List of 7: More Famous Unsolved Mysteries in Japan". Tokyo Weekender (in Japanese). Retrieved 2024-02-09.
- ^ a b c "Japanese warned against poisoned soft drinks". UPI. Retrieved 2022-12-04.
- ^ "その8 パラコート". 一般社団法人日本中毒学会 (in Japanese). Retrieved 2024-02-09.
- ^ "自販機に農薬入り缶ビール、秋田 横手市内、底に穴 | 共同通信". 2020-11-12. Archived from the original on 2020-11-12. Retrieved 2024-02-09.
- ^ "缶ビールに農薬成分 底に穴、秋田の自販機取り出し口に:朝日新聞デジタル". 朝日新聞デジタル (in Japanese). 2019-11-30. Retrieved 2024-02-09.