THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
February 21, 2025 at 18:33 JST
A suspect in the alleged cover-up of a hospital murder case is escorted to a local prosecutor's office in Hachinohe, Aomori Prefecture, on Feb. 15. (Rei Fujii)
HACHINOHE, Aomori Prefecture—More than 200 death certificates were issued under the name of a doctor with dementia at a hospital here, where officials are believed to have attempted to conceal the murder of a patient.
The death certificates were found during a search of Michinoku Kinen Hospital in April 2023 over suspicions that former hospital director Takashi Ishiyama, 61, and his physician brother, Tetsu Ishiyama, 60, tried to cover up the fatal stabbing of a patient.
They are believed to have listed “pneumonia” as the cause of death in a certificate given to the victim’s family.
Pneumonia was also listed as the cause of death in about 70 percent of the more than 200 certificates issued between April 2021 and March 2023 under the name of the doctor who was hospitalized with dementia.
Police are investigating the doctor’s work record, whether the certificates were falsified, and whether widespread malpractice was committed at the hospital.
The Ishiyama brothers were arrested on Feb. 14 on suspicion of falsifying documents to conceal a crime.
On the night of March 12, 2023, a 59-year-old patient at Michinoku Kinen Hospital attacked his 73-year-old roommate by repeatedly stabbing him in the eye with a toothbrush handle.
The victim died the following day. The killer was arrested on murder charges and sentenced to 17 years in prison.
The two brothers are accused of giving the bereaved family a false death certificate listing pneumonia, despite being fully aware that the patient was murdered in the hospital.
Both suspects have denied the allegations.
Investigators are trying to determine the motive behind the suspected cover-up and the extent of any wrongdoing at the hospital.
According to sources, nurses contacted at least one of the Ishiyama brothers immediately after the fatal stabbing in 2023, seeking instructions.
However, the brothers did not arrive at the hospital until the following morning.
The hospital is known to have a doctor’s residence nearby, which allowed it to be exempt from the requirement of having a doctor on duty overnight.
It remains unclear where the Ishiyama brothers were on the night of the murder.
According to a former doctor at the hospital, it was usually Tetsu’s duty to respond to nighttime emergencies.
STRAINED MEDICAL SYSTEM
The incident has sparked serious concerns regarding the hospital’s operations and the overall quality of health care services in the area.
Michinoku Kinen Hospital has 413 beds, including 274 for psychiatric patients, and typically accommodates around 270 inpatients.
According to a senior doctor from the local medical association, the hospital plays a vital role in the region’s health care system, as it often accepts patients turned away by other hospitals.
The doctor expressed concerns about the pressure Michinoku Kinen Hospital was under due to the strained local medical network, suggesting that the hospital may have reached its breaking point.
(This article was compiled from reports by Junichi Obata, Kaede Sano, Rei Fujii and Teruto Unuma.)
A peek through the music industry’s curtain at the producers who harnessed social media to help their idols go global.
A series based on diplomatic documents declassified by Japan’s Foreign Ministry
Here is a collection of first-hand accounts by “hibakusha” atomic bomb survivors.
Cooking experts, chefs and others involved in the field of food introduce their special recipes intertwined with their paths in life.
A series about Japanese-Americans and their memories of World War II
