Teen Arrested for Poisoning Uncle's Miso Soup

Sep 01, 2025 | News On Japan

TOKYO - An 18-year-old high school student from Ichihara City, Chiba Prefecture, has been arrested for attempting to murder his uncle by lacing his miso soup with poisonous plant leaves in July.

According to the police, the student is suspected of attempting to kill his 52-year-old uncle, with whom he lived, around midday on July 17th by chopping up and mixing leaves of the toxic plant oleander into the uncle's miso soup.

The miso soup reportedly contained a lethal dose of the plant. Although the uncle noticed an unusual taste and spat it out immediately, he only suffered minor symptoms.

During questioning, the student admitted to the charges, stating, "I couldn't stand his snoring anymore, so I decided to kill him."

Roughly six hours after the poisoning attempt, the same student was arrested on the spot at JR Chiba Station for attacking two women in a women's restroom with a hammer. The victims were in their 40s and 50s.

The student reportedly told investigators, "I wanted to target a weaker woman—anyone would do—and hurt them."

Police are continuing to investigate the details and circumstances of the series of incidents.

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