There are a lot of dismembered bodies catching headlines these days in Japan.
First, a woman hacked her husband into easily disposable chunks back in December. She got rid of the torso first, and the other parts of the body were scattered around different parts of western Tokyo. She reportedly brought the severed head (concealed in a rather expensive bag) on the train with her while on her way to disposing of it in a park.
Then, earlier this month the son of a duo of dentists killed his younger sister. After cutting her body up he left the pieces in four plastic bags in a closet and cupboard in his bedroom. He reportedly told his father that any foul smell emanating from his room was likely due to a pet shark that had died.
And just now a new murder has been reported. There isn't a whole lot of news coverage on this yet, but it seems that a dismembered body was found in Ibaraki prefecture.
I don't want to call these copycat crimes, but it does seem like these things happen in waves. Late last year there were several suicides related to bullying at school (or click the following link for an excellent editorial over at Trans-Pacific Radio).
