OSAKA — 1985 · Murder
The Toyota Shoji Scandal — A Murder Before the Cameras
Toyota Shoji was a fraudulent gold investment company that in the early 1980s sold non-existent gold to thousands of investors in Japan, most of them elderly. When it collapsed, the victims' losses became a major scandal. On 18 June 1985, while dozens of reporters and camera crews waited outside chairman Kazuo Nagano's Osaka apartment, two men broke in through a window and killed him with a bayonet. The killing was captured on camera and broadcast across the country. The attackers were detained at the scene and claimed to be acting on behalf of defrauded investors. Both were sentenced to prison. The case was long debated in Japan, both for the scale of the fraud and for the press's failure to intervene.
- Date
- 1985
- Place
- Kita, Japan, Osaka, JP
- Category
- Murder
- Case Status
- Solved
- Coordinates
- 34.7050, 135.5150 ↗
Timeline of Events
- 1981-1985Toyota Shoji sold paper gold to thousands of investors.
- June 1985The company's collapse and investors' losses became public.
- 18 June 1985The chairman was killed in his Osaka apartment in front of reporters.
- 1985-1986The two attackers were tried and sentenced to prison.
Sources
- Wikipedia — Kazuo Nagano en.wikipedia.org ↗
- UPI Archives — Gold dealer murdered in front of TV cameras upi.com ↗
- The Washington Post — Televised slaying shocks Japan washingtonpost.com ↗
- Wikipedia
- UPI
- The Washington Post
Source grade A: several independent sources, at least one an official record or reference work. If you spot a mistake or something missing, report it with "Suggest a correction" in the app.
Related Cases
More cases from Osaka
More cases from the 1980s
Categories
🕯️ This record was prepared with respect, in memory of those who lost their lives.