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Tokyo police arrested Linux Japan president Katsuya Mizuguchi, 49, on April 17, 2026, on suspicion of abandoning what investigators believe may have been the body of a missing company executive, according to Nippon.com and FNN Prime Online. The body has not been found, and Mizuguchi has denied the allegation.
Key developments
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Police say Mizuguchi allegedly removed a man’s body from Linux Japan’s office in Akasaka, Minato Ward, and abandoned it sometime between October 5 and October 6, 2025. Nippon.com reported the missing man was a male executive in his 50s who had been out of contact since September 2025, while FNN said police were treating September 28, 2025, as the last confirmed point in the timeline.
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Investigators have not recovered the body. Both Nippon.com and FNN reported that bloodstains linked to the missing executive were found inside the office, pushing the Tokyo Metropolitan Police toward a broader investigation. Nippon said police set up an investigation headquarters at Azabu Police Station and were examining the case with the possibility of murder in mind.
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The evidence search appears to be widening. TV Asahi reported that Mizuguchi had rented a car around the time investigators believe the body was moved, and a later TV Asahi update said he had bought a blue sheet before the alleged disposal. That same report said police were searching around the Tokyo-Kanagawa border on April 18, 2026.
What to watch
The next major development is whether police find human remains and can formally identify them. Without a body, the case is likely to keep turning on circumstantial evidence from the office, the missing-person timeline and whatever investigators recover from vehicle, purchase or location data.
Another key question is whether police or prosecutors move beyond the current corpse-abandonment allegation. Nippon reported that investigators were already considering the possibility of murder, but any upgraded charge would depend on evidence the public has not yet seen. For now, the confirmed picture is narrower: a senior Tokyo IT executive has been arrested, the suspected victim remains missing, and the investigation is escalating.
Sources
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