Photo/Illutration An Asahi Shimbun reporter was killed by a gunman at the newspaper's Hanshin Bureau in Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture, in 1987. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

NISHINOMIYA, Hyogo Prefecture—A 38-year-old man was arrested on June 3 on suspicion of sending a threatening parcel to The Asahi Shimbun’s bureau here that evoked memories of the deadly 1987 shooting at the same location.

The parcel, which arrived at the Hanshin Bureau last month, contained a statement quoting the original claim of responsibility for the 1987 attack, defaced photographs of Asahi reporters, and a toy gun.

Hyogo prefectural police said the suspect, Kazuhiro Muto, sent the parcel on May 3 from Fuji, Shizuoka Prefecture, where he lives. They did not say if he has admitted to or denied sending the package.

On May 3, 1987, a masked man armed with a shotgun entered the bureau and opened fire, killing Tomohiro Kojiri, 29, and seriously injuring Hyoe Inukai, then 42.

A group calling itself “Sekihotai” released a statement claiming responsibility for the shooting and issuing the threat: “We sentence all Asahi employees to death.”

The assailant was never captured, and the statute of limitations expired in 2002.

The statement in the parcel was signed under the name “Reiwa Sekihotai.”

In response to the arrest, The Asahi Shimbun released a statement saying: “Sending threatening items that remind us of the Hanshin Bureau attack is an intolerable act. We will continue to cooperate fully with the police investigation.”

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