Paraquat murders

The paraquat murders were a series of indiscriminate beverage poisonings carried out in Japan in 1985.[1] The drinks were placed in or near vending machines, where the victim would consume the beverage. All the beverages were poisoned with the herbicide paraquat, except for one which was poisoned with diquat.[2] Police were unable to gather any evidence about the murders, and the case remains unsolved.

Paraquat murders
A Japanese vending machine
LocationJapan
DateApril 30 – November 17, 1985
Attack type
Poisoning (using paraquat and diquat)
Deaths12 killed
Injured35 poisoned

Events

According to the New York Times, the first victim was 52 year old Haruo Otsu.[1] On April 30, 1985, in Fukuyama, Hiroshima Prefecture, Haruo stopped by a vending machine on his way to go fishing, purchasing two bottles of Oronamin C. Halfway through his second bottle Haruo began to feel sick, and was taken to a hospital in Tondabayashi, where he died the next night. Thirty-five poisonings followed Haruo's, with eleven of them resulting in death between April 30th and November 17th.

The poisonings primarily occurred in western Japan, with Oronamin C as the primary drink target.[3] As mentioned in Jeffrey Nadrich's article,[2] the Oronamin C drink company had a buy one, get one free, promotion at the time of the crimes. Taking advantage of this, the criminal laced Ornamin C bottles with paraquat and placed them in and on top of vending machines to make customers think they got the promotion. The murders stopped after warnings were posted on vending machines by both vending machine operators and drink companies.[2]

The murderer was never caught, and remains at large to this day. It was established that at least one other unknown person attempted to imitate the murders by putting lime sulfur into drinks in Tokyo. There were also a small number of people who attempted to poison themselves in a method imitating the murders.

Response

Police

In response to the crimes, police distributed leaflets throughout Tokyo with warnings to check vending machine slots before purchases, and check bottle caps before opening drinks.[4] While the police had no leads, it was believed that the crimes were organized and executed by a single person. The police also noted how the crimes had no targeted or consistent victims, making it impossible to establish a motive.[1]

Company

In the midst of the poisonings, the Japanese Soft Drink Bottlers Association spokesman Takeo Mizuuchi shifted blame onto victims. He expressed how customers should notice broken seals stating that "if only consumers were more cautious, they would have seen that some tampering had been done."[1] Despite his statement, Mizuuchi issued 1.3 million warning stickers to be placed on vending machines across Tokyo.[1] Additionally, vending machine operators posted their own warnings, advising against taking abandoned drinks found in or around the machines.[2]

Experts

The Chicago Tribune reported that experts in various fields at the time of the crimes speculated them to be a manifestation of Japan's orderly, intense, and work-oriented society. Hirkoaki Iwao, a Tokyo professor of criminal sociology said: "It is not uncommon for Japanese who live under tremendous pressure, both on the job and in overcrowded communities, to let out their frustrations by hurting someone else,"[3] insinuating that the crimes were an outlet of relief for the criminal. Additionally, Susumu Oda, a mental health specialist at the University of Tsukuba suggested the crimes to be motivated by adrenaline rushes, and a sense of superiority in imagining victims struggling.[1]

References
  1. Haberman, Clyde; Times, Special To the New York (1985-12-10). "Japanese Puzzle: The Vending Machine Murders". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-03-23.
  2. Nadrich, Jeffrey (2021-08-26). "The Paraquat Vending Machine Murders". Nadrich & Cohen Accident Injury Lawyers. Retrieved 2022-12-04.
  3. "New Spate of Poisonings Terrifies Japan". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2022-12-04.
  4. "Japanese warned against poisoned soft drinks". UPI. Retrieved 2022-12-04.
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