The Hachioji Nampei Supermarket Murders

On the evening of July 30, 1995, three employees were killed in the office above the Nampei Owada supermarket in Hachioji. The victims were part-time worker Noriko Inagaki, 47, and high-school students Megumi Yabuki, 17, and Hiromi Maeda, 16. Despite one of the longest-running major homicide investigations in Tokyo, no perpetrator has been arrested.

The night of the killings

Police place the attack at approximately 9:15 p.m. on July 30, 1995, shortly after the store had closed. The three victims were found in the second-floor office. All three had been shot with a handgun.

The crime occurred while the area was busy with summer activity, but the killer or killers were able to leave without being identified. Investigators examined the office, access routes, firearm evidence, adhesive tape and other traces from the scene.

The safe and the robbery question

A safe in the office showed signs of an attempted forced entry. Reporting over the years has described cash remaining inside, which complicated a simple robbery explanation. Police have continued to classify the case as a robbery-murder investigation, but the exact motive has never been judicially established because no suspect has been prosecuted.

This page therefore does not state that robbery was definitively the motive. It records that the safe was a major investigative element and that the official case remains categorized as a robbery and murder with a firearm.

A massive, continuing investigation

Tokyo police have devoted extensive resources to the case. By the 30th anniversary in 2025, reporting said more than 220,000 investigative personnel had been deployed over the life of the inquiry. Police continued to seek information, publish updated posters and release material intended to prompt new leads.

On the 31st anniversary in July 2026, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department again appealed publicly for information. Its current cash-reward listing identifies the Hachioji supermarket case as active for the reward period running from July 30, 2026 to July 29, 2027.

What remains unknown

No person has been convicted for the killings, and the identity of the offender remains unresolved. Past investigative reporting has discussed fingerprints, firearm origin and possible persons of interest, but none of those lines has produced a prosecution that establishes responsibility.

Because those leads remain unadjudicated, this dossier does not repeat any named individual as the killer. The archive status is Unsolved / Partial and will remain so unless reliable official or court records document a materially different outcome.

Timeline

1. July 30, 1995
   Three employees are killed

   Noriko Inagaki, Megumi Yabuki and Hiromi Maeda are shot in the office above the Nampei Owada supermarket in Hachioji.

2. 1995 onward
   Large-scale investigation

   Police examine firearm evidence, tape, fingerprints, scene access and possible robbery-related explanations.

3. 2010
   Statute-of-limitations change

   Japan abolishes the limitation period for certain murders, allowing this investigation to continue without the former prosecution deadline.

4. July 30, 2025
   30th anniversary appeal

   Police renew calls for information and publicize new investigative materials.

5. July 30, 2026
   31 years unresolved

   Tokyo police again appeal for tips and continue the reward program.