Zoo in Japan’s Hokkaido delays reopening over search for body in incinerator

Zoo in Japan’s Hokkaido delays reopening over search for body in incinerator

From Asia - South China Morning Post

April 29, 2026

About this episode

A popular zoo in Japan delays its reopening due to a police investigation involving an employee's confession about burning a body.

One of Japan’s most popular zoos has delayed its reopening after an employee reportedly told police he had burned his wife’s body in an incinerator on its grounds. Asahiyama Zoo in Hokkaido’s second-largest city of Asahikawa, which had been closed for a seasonal break since April 8, was set to reopen on Wednesday, a national holiday. But the date has been pushed back to at least Friday to allow police to search for the body, according to The Asahi Shimbun newspaper. At a news conference on...

Topics covered

  • zoo reopening
  • crime investigation
  • Japan news
  • Hokkaido
  • Asahiyama Zoo
  • body search

Keywords

  • Hokkaido
  • Asahiyama Zoo
  • body incinerator
  • Japan
  • police investigation
  • seasonal break

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Asahiyama Zoo, The Asahi Shimbun

Places: Hokkaido, Asahikawa

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