Loss still haunts close friend and peer as verdict nears in Japan gyoza chain president's killing

The Kyoto District Court will deliver its verdict on October 16 in the case surrounding the December 2013 murder of Takayuki Ohigashi, the 72-year-old president of Ohsho Food Service Corp., the operator of the nationwide Gyoza no Ohsho restaurant chain. Ohigashi, a forceful leader who spearheaded the company's rapid growth, was shot and killed in the parking lot outside his company's headquarters in Kyoto's Yamashina Ward.

A fellow restaurant executive close to Ohigashi, Masahiro Fujio, expressed his ongoing grief over the loss, hoping to still have another discussion with the now-deceased executive about their shared business interests. The case involves Yukio Tanaka, a 59-year-old senior member of the Kudo-kai gang, who has been charged with murder and violating the firearms and swords control law.

Prosecutors are seeking a life sentence, while the defense maintains Tanaka's innocence. Tanaka is accused of shooting Ohigashi with a handgun, causing his death from blood loss. Despite the lack of direct evidence linking Tanaka to the shooting, prosecutors have presented circumstantial evidence, including a cigarette butt found near the crime scene with a DNA profile matching Tanaka's.

Brief written by urgent.news from The Mainichi's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.