Woman was starved before she died of beating

KAMA, Fukuoka Prefecture--A 64-year-old woman beaten to death in January had nearly starved to death after one of her alleged assailants, a relative, took away her welfare benefits for about 11/2 years, sources said.

Living alone and deprived of her only income, Yoko Nakamura had barely survived, often going without food for days, the sources said.

Electricity and gas services to her home here had been cut off when she died, with only water supply still running.

Welfare authorities said they were unaware of the gravity of her situation until she died, even though a caseworker had noticed a bruise on her face and Nakamura said her money had been taken from her.

Nakamura weighed only 32 kilograms when she died on Jan. 6.

Numerous bruises, likely a result of abuse, remained on her body, police said.

In late January, prefectural police arrested the victim's elder sister Shima Nakamura, 75, and Shima's grandson Takayuki Yanagihara, 26, for allegedly beating her.

Shima is on trial for inflicting injuries on Yoko Nakamura. Yanagihara has been indicted on charges of inflicting injuries resulting in death, which he has denied. His trial has not started yet.

In March, Yanagihara was arrested again, this time on suspicion of swindling Kama city out of 90,000 yen in December by forging welfare papers in the name of his grandaunt.

Police suspect Yanagihara, also a Kama resident, started taking Nakamura's benefits around autumn 2006, according to sources close to the investigation.

Since last summer, he had taken almost all her benefits each month, about 60,000 yen.

"He had turned her into a money tree," a senior police official said.

Around last summer, Nakamura's gas supply was suspended. Electricity was cut off later.

After she had not eaten for days and her strength was almost gone, Nakamura would ask acquaintances for food. Sometimes, Yanagihara gave her cup noodles to eat.

Yanagihara is suspected of stealing a total of 1 million yen from her, which he apparently spent at pubs and on entertainment, the sources said.

Nakamura, who did not have close ties with her neighbors, apparently got no help.

A government-commissioned community welfare volunteer regretted that Nakamura's case "did not become noticed (as a problem) through local information networks."

Kama city's welfare office did not classify her case as serious.

The city divides welfare recipients into four ranks, from A to D, to detect possible misuse and support independence.

Nakamura's case was ranked as C, the second-least serious.

This meant a caseworker would visit every four months, because her life was considered "stable."

The last caseworker visit to Nakamura before she died was in late November, when a facial bruise was noticed.

Nakamura told the caseworker that her money had been taken, but would not elaborate when pressed.

A city official who heard about the case took it to mean that her sister Shima, who lived nearby and received benefits jointly with Nakamura, had taken her sister's share. The official only initiated separate payment of benefits to the two women.

Experts said the city mishandled the case and that officials should have visited the victim again to investigate.(IHT/Asahi: April 21,2008)