Hospitalized man tells Japanese police he is a highly wanted fugitive, dies four days later

By MARI YAMAGUCHI
Associated Press

TOKYO (AP) — A man who died this week at a Japanese hospital told police before he passed away that he was one of the country’s most wanted fugitives and had been on the run for nearly 50 years for being part of a radical group that conducted bombings in the 1970s. Police had received a tip and went to the hospital last week to question the man, who was using an alias but told them he had terminal cancer and wanted to die using his real name, Satoshi Kirishima. On Monday, four days after the questioning, the man died. Kirishima became involved in extremism as a student and joined the East Asia Anti-Japan Armed Front, a militant group that carried out a series of bombings targeting major Japanese companies.