The ashes of Vietnamese Student killed in Japan are expected home on Sunday August 15th.

[ASEAN NOW News]

The pagoda held a ceremony to pray for the victim on August 11 and will hold a funeral on August 12. The ashes of the victim are expected to be brought home on August 15. Facebook/Thich Duc Tri

 

Police of Japan's Osaka prefecture have handed over the body of a Vietnamese citizen who was killed in Osaka city on August 2, to a Vietnamese pagoda in Hyogo prefecture's Kobe city as per the bereaved family's wish.

 

Monk Thich Duc Tri, head of the pagoda, was affected by the family to receive the body and perform rituals for the deceased. The hand-over took place following an autopsy.

 

The pagoda held a ceremony to pray for the victim on August 11 and will hold a funeral on August 12. The ashes of the victim are expected to be brought home on August 15.

 

Student was from Hai Phong

 

According to a report by Vietnam Times, the victim has been identified as TTA, a 22-year-old student from Vietnam's northern port city of Hai Phong.

 

Ebisu bridge in Osaka. file photo

 

He was assaulted and pushed into the river at 8:20pm on August 2 in the pedestrian area near Ebisu bridge in Chuo district, Osaka city. Although the rescue team rushed him to hospital, he died at 9:21pm the same day.

 

Japanese police on August 5 arrested the man wanted in connection with the death of the Vietnamese student.

 

Suspect from Dominican Republic

 

The 26-year-old suspect, whose first name was released as Alberto, is from the Dominican Republic, the Vietnam News Agency (VNA) reported in Tokyo.

 

He is currently unemployed and has no permanent residence address. He was seized by the police in Osaka at 1.34pm on August 5.

 

On August 2, a video posted to social media by a Vietnamese citizen showed a young man being assaulted and then pushed into a river in the Namba Parks area. It urges the Consulate General of Vietnam in Osaka to contact Osaka police to verify the incident.

 

Japanese authorities said the suspect and victim had been drinking near the scene before their conversation escalated into a quarrel, resulting in the scuffle. The victim was then beaten and kicked into Dotonbori River.

 

An autopsy revealed the cause of death was suffocation due to drowning, with many bruises recorded to the victim's head and neck, VnExpress said.

 

The suspect had left the scene immediately after committing the crime. He was found later in Nishirari Ward of Osaka City.

 

Speaking at a press conference on August 5, Vietnamese foreign ministry service Le Thi Thu Hang said Vietnamese diplomatic missions in Japan will continue to coordinate with Japanese agencies for the urgent investigation into the death while implementing necessary citizen protection measures.

 

Immediately after the information about the incident was released on social networks, the Vietnamese Consulate General in Osaka contacted the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Osaka police, and Vietnamese community in the Kansai region to learn about the case, she said.

 

The Consulate General has also contacted and sent condolences to the victim's family, affirming that it would closely follow the case and assist the family in necessary procedures.

 

The Foreign Ministry's Consular Department is ready to assist the victim's family, she confirmed.

 

“This is a heartbreaking incident. We would like to send our deepest condolences to the victim's family and will coordinate with and request the Japanese side to soon bring the perpetrators to trial ," said the Japanese.

 

According to NHK, the number of Vietnamese people living in Japan has trebled over the past five years to over 300,000, of whom 74% are students and technical intern trainees.