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Japan’s Black Widow
She targeted, robbed, and killed lonely, vulnerable men.
We often hear stories of men with power, money, or strength taking advantage of young or vulnerable women. They use their status and strength to target their victims and break them down until they are powerless and defeated. These women succumb to abuse, assault, rape, and murder.
However, this story is about a woman who hunted for weak and lonely men. She used lies, deception, and coercion to not only enrapture these men but siphon as much money as she could from them until they were no longer useful. Then she would skillfully plan their deaths to look like suicide.
This is the story of a woman named Kanae Kijima. A woman from a well-off family who tricked people into believing she was a sophisticated, well-educated, and honest woman looking for a partner to spend her life with. How did she attract men? How did she dupe them into giving her all their cash? How did she murder these men and how did she get caught?
The Life and Lies Of Kanae
“I lived a luxurious life when I was young, so I can’t lower the quality of my life,”
Kanae in court
Jiji Press reported on Kanae’s background and her move from a small town in Hokkaido to the big city of Tokyo. Born in 1974 in Nakashibetsu in North Japan, Kanae was the eldest of four siblings. Her father worked at a university and her mother was a piano teacher. Both her parents came from wealthy, well-to-do backgrounds and Kanae had a privileged childhood. Kanae herself played the piano and often participated in recitals and competitions.
Her parents were both conservative and strict and were known for not letting their children watch TV and emphasized getting a good education. Kanae, despite getting good grades and being an active student, was also becoming engrossed in beauty and brand names. A mother of her classmate said, “She bought expensive cosmetics for a high school student.”
