The Hiroshima Prefectural Government's east building, which houses the Hiroshima Prefectural Police headquarters, is seen. (Mainichi/Misa Koyama)

       HIROSHIMA -- The DNA of a man recently arrested on suspicion of stabbing a housewife to death in 2001 has matched bloodstains left at the scene other than the victim's, according to sources close to the investigation, leading to his apprehension 20 years after the incident.

       Kozo Takemori, 67, was arrested for allegedly killing a housewife, 35 at the time, by stabbing her in the abdomen with a fruit knife with a blade measuring approximately 10 centimeters at her house in the Hiroshima Prefecture city of Fukuyama at around 12:45 p.m. on Feb. 6, 2001.

       Takemori reportedly told police he "doesn't remember" what happened and has denied the allegations.

       According to investigative sources, the woman was found collapsed on the stairs between the first and second floors. She was casually dressed and a knife was sticking out of her stomach. There were no signs that the house had been ransacked, and marks from tennis shoes and bloodstains believed to belong to the suspect were left at the scene.

       The knife was not from the woman's household, and Hiroshima Prefectural Police suspect Takemori brought it to the scene.

       The woman's bereaved family has told prefectural police that they were not acquainted with Takemori. The suspect is believed to have been in the landscaping business in the city of Fukuyama at the time of the incident, and police are investigating how he came into contact with the woman.

       (Japanese original by Akihiro Nakajima, Hiroshima Bureau)

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