Photo/Illutration Murder suspect Kumiko Yasufuku as a high school student in the 1970s. At the time, she was a classmate of Satoru Takaba, whose wife, Namiko, was fatally stabbed in 1999. (Provided by a source)

NAGOYA--A woman who has admitted to fatally slashing a mother in 1999 said she had been living in fear of arrest, but she has not given a clear motive for the attack, sources said.

Kumiko Yasufuku, 69, was arrested last week on suspicion of murdering Namiko Takaba, 32, at her apartment in Nagoya’s Nishi Ward on Nov. 13, 1999.

Takaba was stabbed multiple times, primarily in the neck. Her 2-year-old child was at the apartment at the time, but he was not hurt.

Yasufuku has admitted to the allegations and expressed remorse, saying she was sorry for the victim, the sources said.

The suspect, a part-time clerk at a local supermarket, reportedly told investigators she lived in constant fear for over two decades.

“I was anxious every day. Around the anniversary of the incident, I would feel depressed,” police quoted her as saying. “When police came in August, I knew I was going to be arrested.”

Aichi prefectural police had interviewed Yasufuku multiple times since summer and requested a voluntary DNA sample, but she initially refused.

However, she later agreed to submit a sample and appeared at a police station on Oct. 30. The DNA matched blood found at the crime scene, leading to her arrest.

Police believe the suspect kept the killing secret from her family and co-workers throughout the 26 years.

Yasufuku was a high school classmate of Takaba’s husband, Satoru, who says he has no idea what could have motivated the crime.

Satoru continued to pay rent for the apartment where his wife was killed for over two decades to preserve evidence for the investigation.

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