Crime One of Japan's most wanted dies in hospital

Police then determined that Hiroshi Uchida was indeed Satoshi Kirishima. Kirishima was a member of "sasori" (scorpion) unit at the East Asia Anti-Japan Armed Front, an extremist group tied to a series of bombings in the 1970s. He had been a fugitive for almost 50 years since the bombings and was placed on the National Police Agency's list of wanted persons of importance. After coming forward, Kirishima told police, "I had worked day-labor jobs in Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, before living and working at the construction company in Fujisawa," He said that he had not been in contact with members of the extremist group and that he had lived alone throughout his half-century of life on the run. The extremist group claimed responsibility for 12 bombings targeting general contractors and other organizations in the mid-1970s, including a blast at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. that killed eight people. Kirishima is suspected of being involved in bombing at a building of the Economic Research Institute of Korea in Tokyo's Ginza district in April 1975. He was placed on the wanted list the following month.

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Kirishima is suspected of helping plant and detonate a homemade bomb that destroyed part of a building in Tokyo's Ginza district on 18 April 1975, according to local media. There were no casualties. At the time, he belonged to the East Asia Anti-Japan Armed Front, a radical, left-wing organisation believed to be behind several bombings against companies in Japan's capital Tokyo in the 70s - including one targeting a Mitsubishi Heavy Industries building which left eight dead and more than 160 injured. Kirishima is alleged to have been involved in four other attacks the group carried out. Two other members were sentenced to death for their involvement in attacks.

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