30 years after Sophia University student murder case, father complains of daughter's regret and thoughts on abolishing the statute of limitations

The 9th marks the 30th anniversary of the murder and arson of Junko Kobayashi, then a 21-year-old fourth-year student at Sophia University, at her home in Shibamata, Katsushika Ward, Tokyo. Manako's father, Kenji (80), continues to actively call for information in order to avenge Manako's regrets. Although he has overcome a serious illness, he is concerned about his health and is becoming increasingly anxious, wondering whether ``the case will be resolved first or my own lifespan will come first.''

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According to Kenji, Junko had a spoiled personality, but she chose to attend a high school that had specialized English classes, which she was interested in. She enrolled in the English department at university and decided to study abroad in the United States, which was her dream. As they grew up, their daily conversations decreased, but Kenji recalls, ``We were a normal family, and there was a little bit of happiness there.''

The incident occurred on September 9, 1996, when Junko was two days away from studying abroad. “Why my family, why my daughter?” Unable to come to terms with his daughter's death, Kenji was busy interviewing the police, inspecting the scene, and preparing for the funeral. "This wasn't the time to cry."

When I saw the luggage I was supposed to use at my study abroad place lined up in the police station dojo, I thought of Junko packing. Boots, books, and cassette tapes with dubbed songs by singer Miyuki Nakajima and Mr. Children. ``I guess I packed it with a mixture of dreams, hopes, expectations, and a little bit of anxiety,'' he said with a heavy heart.

As the days passed, my hopes that the matter would be resolved soon turned to anxiety, and I felt like the statute of limitations was running out. ``I will never forgive the perpetrator. If things continue like this, I will feel sorry for my daughter,'' he said, and in 2009, together with the families of 15 other murder victims, he founded Sora no Kai, an association for the families of murder victims. The following year, it was decided to abolish the statute of limitations for cases such as murder, which had been brought before the government. It felt like Junko in the sky was telling me, ``Dad, you'll do it.''

Every morning, Kenji's daily routine is for his wife to open the Buddhist altar, offer the same breakfast they had, and say, "Thank you for today." In 2018, he underwent surgery for cancer twice. ``When I look at it, it passes by in a blink of an eye,'' he says, but he has noticed more and more changes in his physical condition. "I'm reaching the age where I'm worried about whether the case will be solved first or my lifespan will come first." Still, he stressed, ``My desire for the matter to be resolved as soon as possible remains unchanged.''