Two charred bodies, with their faces bound with adhesive tape, were discovered Tuesday on a riverbed in the town of Nasu, Tochigi Prefecture, police said.
Police discovered the bodies as they rushed to the site following a report from a local man at approximately 8:10 a.m. Tuesday. The man initially mistook the scene for burning mannequins.
Police are investigating the incident, thinking that the two are likely to have been killed.
According to police sources, one of the bodies has been identified as 55-year-old Ryutaro Takarajima, with his address and occupation currently unknown.
The alert had been raised earlier the same day, around 6:50 a.m., by another local who saw flames on the riverbed and contacted an acquaintance, who verified the situation before reporting it to the police.
The bodies were burned all over, with adhesive tape wrapped around their faces and their hands tied.
The police have scheduled autopsies for the bodies to ascertain the precise cause of death.
The incident site is located around 17 kilometers east of Nasushiobara Station, in an area characterized by mountainous terrain and scattered housing.
Translated by The Japan Times