True Crime Friday: Gen Sekine and Hiroko Kazama
Gen Sekine, Hiroko Kazama and Eikō Yamazaki, who was an employee at the shop, murdered their customers. The murders began in 1993 in a small town in Japan. There are several names used for the killer couple with the most common being the "Saitama Dog Lover Murders" due to the victim’s and their connection to the couple via the dog-breeding business that they owned. Because of the dog breeding aspect, the murders were covered heavily in the media. Due to the significant media attention, the scrutiny led to the arrest of the murderers.
The Early Childhood of Gen Sekine
Gen Sekine was born on January 2, 1942, in Japan. He graduated from high school and began working at a game parlor and later a Chinese restaurant in his hometown. It was thought that Sekine killed the owner of the restaurant when the building mysterious went up in flames. At this point it is just speculation since this theory was never proven, and Sekine denied the allegations. Sekine started a dog breeding business in his early twenties. He did such a great job with the business that he earned celebrity status in the industry for popularizing the Alaskan Malamute breed in Japan. He was also credited with the boom of Siberian Huskies in Japan.He began to run a pet shop and animal leasing business which gained notoriety for his malicious business practices. He stole dogs and sold them to customers. He also would kill the customers dogs and sold them new ones without their consent or knowledge. He had a collection of big cats such as Tigers and Lions. The residents in that area were not happy about the way he ran his business, and the complaints grew loud.
The Early Childhood of Hiroko Kazama
Hiroko Kazama was born on February 19, 1957, in Kumagaya, Saitama Prefecture, Japan. Her father was a real estate agent. It is said she was a quiet and smart child. She loved animals, especially big dogs. Kazama was studying to work as a surveyor of land to assist her father financially. In 1983, she visited the Africa Kennel where she met Sekine. They dated and married not long after meeting. Sekine was married three times when he met Hiroko, and he had three children from those marriages. She had been married and had two children. It was said that they both cheated on each other while they were married and Sekine was an abusive husband and father. They eventually decided they were better off as business partners and soon divorced. Nevertheless, they both supported each other in managing the shop and the business.Kazama was known as the financial wizard. To prevent Sekine from wasting their money, she faked their divorce and started living as his common law wife which allowed for her to be appointed the president of the company. Sekine was the face of the business, but Kazama controlled the assets.
Eikō Yamazaki the Accomplice
Eikō Yamazaki was born in Toyama Prefecture, Japan in January 1956. He was a bulldog breeder. He remodeled a freight car and made it home. Yamazaki met Sekine after seeing him participate in a dog show. After being invited to visit Sekine Africa Kennel he liked Sekine management philosophy. He was surprised when Sekine asked him to become an executive of the company. He ended up being Sekine's driver and an unwilling accomplice.The Victims of Gen Sekine and Hiroko Kazama
- Akio Kawasaki
- Yasunobu Endo
- Susumu Wakui
- Mitsue Sekiguchi
The Survivor of Gen Sekine and Hiroko Kazama
- Eikō Yamazaki
Eikō Yamazaki was an unwitting accomplice of the killer couple. He was afraid for his life and assisted the couple with the disposals. He later would testify against the couple for a lighter sentence. He later apologized to the victim’s family for not having the courage to report them to the authorities. Sekine's method of operation was to dismember his victims. Chopping their bodies into bite size pieces for a more convenient disposal. All four of his known victims were dismembered in Yamazaki's bathroom, and their bones, skin, tissues and internal organs were cut down to several centimeters. The rest of their bodies would be burned and the ashes of which were then disposed of in forests and rivers. The Africa Kennel closed after the case broke. The building which housed the business has not been demolished and remains standing in Kumagaya to this day.