What happened to Junko Furuta's killers: Everything you need to know

What happened to Junko Furuta's killers: Everything you need to know

Junko Furuta was a Japanese high school girl who was kidnapped, assaulted, tortured, and ultimately murdered. The ordeal was perpetrated by four male teenagers, Hiroshi Miyano, Shinji Minato, Jo Ogura, and Yasushi Watanabe, for 40 days (25 November 1988 to 4 January 1989). So what happened to Junko Furuta's killers?

What happened to Junko Furuta killers?
Junko Furuta. Photo: @kehidupan-kematian on Facebook (modified by author)
Source: UGC

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Junko Furuta endured a gruesome murder almost half a century ago. Since her body was discovered in a concrete drum, her case was dubbed the "concrete-encased high school girl murder case." This crime goes down as one of the most brutal murders in history. However, the four culprits, who were her classmates, received lenient sentences since they were minors at the time of the incident.

Profile summary

Full nameJunko Furuta
NicknameJun-Chan
GenderFemale
Date of birth18 January 1971
Zodiac signCapricorn
Date of death4 January 1989
Age17 years old (at the time of death)
Place of birthMisato, Saitama, Japan
NationalityJapanese
EthnicityAsian
EducationYashio-Minami High School
Hair colourBlack
Eye colourBrown
Height in feet and inches 5'3"
Height in centimetres160
FatherAkira Furuta
Siblings2

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Who is Junko Furuta?

Junko was a 1- year-old girl born on 18 January 1971 in Misato city, Saitama Prefecture. She attended Yashio-Minami High School and worked part-time during after-school hours. Junko lived with her parents and two brothers. Before her kidnapping, she had accepted a job offer at an electronics retailer, where she intended to work after graduating.

Furuta was a brilliant student at school. In addition to her intellectual prowess, Junko Furuta was attractive. One of her classmates, Hiroshi Miyano, had a crush on her and repeatedly asked her out. However, she declined his proposal since she was not interested in a relationship. Consequently, Miyano, who was a Yakuza member, sought vengeance on her.

Who were the killers of Junko Furuta?

Hiroshi Miyano, J Ogura, Shinji Minato, and Yasushi Watanabe were the culprits. One day as Junko was cycling home from her part-time work, she was attacked by a random boy. Hiroshi Miyano happened to be across the street at the time of this encounter and offered to walk her home after the attacker fled.

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At the time, Junko had no idea that the event was a set-up. She was unaware that Miyano still resented her for rejecting him romantically. She also never suspected that he and his friends intended to kidnap and se*ually assault her.

What did the four boys do to Junko Furuta?

The abduction turned into 44 days of misery for Junko. Miyano and his friends decided they were having too much fun to let her go after abusing her in an abandoned warehouse. In addition, keeping her in captivity would make it easier to ensure she would not reveal their misdeeds.

They agreed to hide Furuta in the basement of Minato's home and invite an unfathomable number of guys to continue the assault. Throughout her 44 days of torture, Furuta endured nearly 500 se*ual assaults. She was also subjected to other sorts of physical and psychological torture, including starvation and being hung and battered like a punching bag.

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Furuta's misery ended when they set her on fire. When the boys realized she had died, they placed her corpse in an oil drum and covered it with cement. The body was later dumped in a park and remained undiscovered for months.

Is Junko Furuta's case solved?

Upon arrest, all four defendants pleaded guilty to "committing bodily injury that resulted in death" rather than murder. Hiroshi Miyano was given a 20-year sentence, Shinji Minato was given a five to nine years jail term, J Ogura was given a term of five to ten years, and Yasushi Watanabe was given a term of five to seven years.

Since they were teens at the time of Junko Furuta's murder, they received short sentences; nonetheless, it is believed that their connections to the Yakuza also played a role. Many Japanese citizens still believe that Furuta's case was not handled fairly.

Are Junko Furuta's killers alive?

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Eventually, all four of Furuta's killers were released from prison. Watanabe is believed to be the only one who has avoided further criminal activity since his release. In July 2004, Ogura was arrested for attacking Takatoshi Isono, a friend he suspected was involved with his girlfriend.

In 2018, Minato was once again arrested for attempted murder after he beat a 32-year-old man with a metal rod and slashed his throat with a knife.

Where is Hiroshi Miyano now? In January 2013, Miyano was arrested once more for fraud. Later that month, he was released without charge due to insufficient evidence.

Where is Junko Furuta's family now?

It was reported that Junko's mother suffered a mental breakdown and mental illness after learning of her daughter's ordeal before her death. Since the occurrence, Junko's family has avoided the spotlight.

FAQs

  1. Who is Junko Furuta? She was a high school student from Japan who was kidnapped, assaulted, tortured and murdered by four teen boys in 1988.
  2. Who are the killers of Junko Furuta? Hiroshi Miyano, J Ogura, Shinji Minato, and Yasushi Watanabe were the perpetrators.
  3. How old was Junko Furuta when she was murdered? She was 17 years old.
  4. What do the killers of Junko Furuta have to say? Upon arrest, all four defendants pleaded guilty to "committing bodily injury that resulted in death" rather than murder.
  5. Are Junko Furuta's killers alive? Yes, they were eventually released from prison as they were minors at the time of the incident, receiving short sentences.
  6. Is there a movie on Junko Furuta? Concrete is a 2004 film based on Junko Furuta's tribulations and murder. Another one is Junko (2017).
  7. When was Junko Furuta buried? She was laid to rest on 2 April 1989.

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Junko Furuta's untimely death was painful. What happened to the Junko Furuta killers? The four teen boys associated with her death received light sentences as they were minors at the time of the incident. They were all eventually released from prison after serving short terms in juvenile prison.

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Source: YEN.com.gh

Authors:
Racheal Murimi avatar

Racheal Murimi (Lifestyle writer) Racheal Murimi is a content creator who joined Yen in 2022. She has over four years of experience in creating content. Racheal graduated from Dedan Kimathi University of Technology with a bachelor's degree in BCom, Finance. She has amassed sufficient knowledge working on various topics, including biographies, fashion and lifestyles, guides, and more. In 2023, Racheal finished the AFP course on Digital Investigation Techniques. You can reach her at wambuimurimi254@gmail.com