TOKYO (TR) – More than two years have passed since a fatal hit-and-run in Beppu City, Oita Prefecture left one university student dead.
Now, a former Tokyo Metropolitan Police detective has offered a theory: Japan’s most wanted fugitive may have undergone plastic surgery or resorted to cross-dressing to evade capture, reports Pinzuba News (Oct. 16).
Fumitaka Kohiruimaki, a 53-year-old former detective and security analyst, detailed his theories in a recent video on his YouTube channel on October 13. He warned the public against fixating on the widely circulated mugshots of 30-year-old Yoichi Hatta, who remains on the run.
“There is a possibility that his face looks completely different now,” Kohiruimaki stated, releasing his own composite images of Hatta with surgically altered features and in women’s clothing.
“Changing the eyes”
Kohiruimaki noted that Hatta had a known complex about his eyes and, according to testimony from acquaintances, may have already undergone cosmetic surgery to alter his distinctive eyelids. “Even just changing the eyes alters the entire impression of the face, along with his physique,” the ex-detective explained.
The former detective also speculated that Hatta’s prolonged evasion suggests he is being harbored by a female accomplice in a “co-dependent” relationship. Such a dynamic, he said, is often fueled by a twisted sense of mission, affection, or fear of loneliness. He drew parallels to the case of former Aum Shinrikyo cult executive Makoto Hirata, who was hidden by a devoted female follower for 17 years.
Hatta is currently wanted for murder and attempted murder in connection with the June 2022 incident in Oita Prefecture.
Ramming two motorcycles
According to police, Hatta, then 25, became involved in an altercation with two university students at a commercial facility on June 29, 2022. Roughly five minutes later, he allegedly drove his light vehicle at speeds approaching 100 kilometer per hour, intentionally ramming into the students’ stopped motorcycles.
A 19-year-old male student was killed, and his 20-year-old classmate was injured. Following the crash, Hatta abandoned his vehicle — leaving behind his smartphone and wallet—and vanished into thin air. Initially wanted for traffic violations, his arrest warrants were later upgraded to murder and attempted murder.
Private bounty
The National Police Agency recently extended the deadline for a special investigation reward. Anyone providing information leading to Hatta’s arrest can receive up to 8 million yen, a figure that includes private bounty funds offered by the victims’ families.
Tips regarding Hatta’s whereabouts continue to pour in, with police receiving nearly 14,000 reports to date. Authorities have noted a recent surge in sightings in the Kanto region, jumping from 50 reports in August to 73 in September of this year.
In a bid to catch the elusive fugitive, Oita Prefectural Police are preparing to distribute new wanted posters nationwide in November. They previously released altered images of Hatta depicting him with blonde hair, brown hair, and sunglasses, urging the public to remain vigilant to any drastic changes in his appearance.