Saitama criminal investigations

In late July 2026, police in Kazo City, Saitama Prefecture arrested 58‑year‑old Koji Kuramoto on suspicion of stealing a mobile speed‑camera (mobile OVIS) that had been deployed to enforce speed limits on a national highway. The device, purchased for about 9 million yen, has not been recovered. Surveillance footage showed Kuramoto’s vehicle passing the camera, then turning back toward it; he claims he only inspected the flashing device.

A week later, on 2 August 2026, Saitama police announced the arrest of a 33‑year‑old Vietnamese man in connection with the murder of 91‑year‑old Kinuko Maruyama. Maruyama’s body was discovered in a forest in the Asu area of Hanno after she was reported missing on 31 July. Investigators linked a missing car, a collision, and the suspect’s flight, leading to his capture. The case is being treated as homicide.

Both incidents illustrate separate criminal investigations undertaken by Saitama authorities in 2026, involving theft of law‑enforcement equipment and a violent homicide.