A police car sits at the entrance of Hosei University's Tama campus after a 22-year-old female student attacked bystanders with a hammer inside a classroom in Machida, in the western suburbs of Tokyo, on Jan. 10, 2025. Eight people were wounded the attack, according to Japanese media. (AFP/Philip Fong)
Eleven Indonesian citizens in Japan have been named suspects in the murder of a fellow Indonesian in the country’s Gunma prefecture, the Foreign Ministry has reported.
The Isesaki Police in Gunma arrested the 11 Indonesians and later named them suspects for murder and overstaying their visas.
“The Isesaki Police are still investigating the Indonesian citizens arrested on both suspicions,” the Foreign Ministry’s director for citizen protection, Judha Nugraha, said in a statement on Thursday.
He added that the Indonesian Embassy in Tokyo was monitoring the case and providing legal assistance to the arrested Indonesians.
The victim, identified only by the initial A, was stabbed to death on Nov 3, 2024.
Three other Indonesian citizens were injured in the incident and were treated at a hospital.
According to the Foreign Ministry, all the victims were Indonesian citizens who had overstayed their visas and fallen victim to a violent robbery committed by fellow Indonesians.
The remains of A were repatriated on Jan 11.
The murder in Isesaki was among the latest incidents of public disturbances committed by Indonesian citizens in Japan.
The Foreign Ministry previously investigated allegations that a group of Indonesians thought to be migrant workers had formed a gang and caused disturbances in Osaka.
The investigation was launched after a series of videos showing a group allegedly consisting of male Indonesians went viral on social media. One video showed the group blocking traffic on a busy street in Osaka.
Another depicted a man riding a bicycle near a shopping centre carrying a flag with the group’s alleged name, “Pemulih Harga Diri” (restorer of pride).
The Foreign Ministry in Jakarta and the Indonesian Embassy in Tokyo have urged Indonesians in Japan to adhere to local norms and regulations to maintain Indonesia’s good name on the global stage.
They also warned that foreign nationals who break the law in Japan would be under Japanese jurisdiction and subject to the Japanese legal process. — The Jakarta Post/ANN
