Elderly woman's body found in abandoned suitcase at Tokyo station

 
A police officer stands guard at the locker storage area at Tokyo station (Picture: AFP)
AFP
Michael Howie1 June 2015

The body of an elderly woman has been found in a suitcase left abandoned for a month in Tokyo station.

A worker discovered the corpse after opening the bright yellow case, which had been moved from an unlocked coin locker to a left-luggage storage room.

“There was an abnormal odour when we opened the suitcase,” a spokesman at the baggage storage company said. “Then we saw hair.”

Police are trying to establish the identity of the woman, who was about 4ft 7in and aged between about 70 and 90.

According to Japanese media, her body had been folded into the suitcase, which measured 28 by 20 by 10 inches and was left in the locker on April 26.

Luggage is usually held for a month. A spokesman for rail firm JR East said nothing unusual had been observed about the suitcase until it was opened yesterday, adding: “We were surprised and horrified.”

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