More details that have come out in the past 48 hours after the shocking live streamer murder in Takadonobaba

On the morning of March 11th, popular Fuwatchi live streamer “Mogami Ai” (real name Sato Airi) (22) was stabbed to death on the street. Suspect Takano Kenichi (42), of unknown occupation, who lives in Oyama City, Tochigi Prefecture, was arrested on the spot. Sato was a popular streamer with over 2,600 followers on the live streaming app “Fuwatchi”, and on the day of the incident, she was planning a “3.11 Walking Around the Yamanote Line” event.

During police questioning, Takano reportedly stated, “The day before the incident, I saw on a live stream that the victim was planning to walk around the Yamanote Line, so I went to Tokyo that morning, watched the live stream, discovered where she was, and committed the crime.”

The suspect said, “I lent the woman over 2 million yen, but she never paid me back, so I decided to commit the crime”. He also said that he had transferred money directly into Sato’s account and that he had “borrowed money from a consumer finance company”, so the police are investigating, believing that there was some kind of financial trouble between the two. (Reporter from the social affairs department of a major newspaper)

Regarding the “financial trouble” that Takano has stated was his motive for the crime, the Tochigi Branch of the Utsunomiya District Court has a record of a judgment dated December 2023, ordering the plaintiff, Takano Kenichi, and the defendant, Sato Airi, “to pay the plaintiff 2,514,800 yen (approx. $16,963.29 in US), plus interest at the rate of 3% per annum from December 8, 2023 until payment is made”.

Shueisha Online reported on LINE exchanges between Sato, who asked Takano to send money, and Takano, who responded calmly. Some people on social media have expressed doubts about why Takano was so submissive, but documents suggesting a relationship between the two.

The documents consist of more than 20 screenshots of LINE messages. Although the dates and times of the screenshots were hidden, they seem to provide a glimpse into the exchanges between the two before they developed into “financial troubles.”

The contents of the LINE messages are linked to the statements made by Takano during questioning, and may lead to a better understanding of the motive. Of course, financial troubles are not a justification for killing someone.

According to a person familiar with Takano’s current situation and posted on X (formerly known as Twitter), “He had no stable income and was living in poverty,” but why did Takano continue to send Sato money far beyond his limits?

The following LINE message was found:

“I can’t live without Takano” (Sato)
“I can’t live without Airi either” (Takano)
“Thank you for everything you did for Airi, I love you” (Sato)
“Yeah, of course” (Takano)

Behind this tragedy that took place in broad daylight, could there have been a complicated relationship between a popular live streamer and her fans that went beyond the line?

Police authorities are still investigating the case.