Thailand revive efforts in 18-year-old killing of Japanese tourist in Sukhothai

Thai investigators have renewed their appeal for assistance from a Frenchman, whom they believe to be a key witness in the unsolved murder of a Japanese woman in Sukhothai province 18 years ago.

If his testimony leads to the suspect’s arrest, he will be eligible to claim a 2-million-baht reward.

Investigators emphasise that he is a key witness, not a suspect.

The body of Tomoko Kawashita, a 27-year-old stage actress from Osaka, Japan, who was visiting Saphan Hin Temple in the

Sukhothai Historical Park, was found on November 25, 2007.

She had been attacked with a knife, sustaining fatal injuries to her neck and torso. Her body was discovered on a path leading up to the hilltop temple.

Police suspect that she was attacked during a robbery attempt and tried to escape, before being fatally wounded.

DSI investigators now believe that a Frenchman, who was reportedly near the crime scene at the time of the incident, may hold crucial information.

He is believed to have either witnessed the murder or encountered the perpetrator shortly before or after the crime was committed.

Authorities are urging him to come forward, before the case’s statute of limitations is reached two years from now.

Despite multiple investigations over nearly two decades, no suspect has been arrested. The case was transferred to the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) in 2013 and a 2-million-baht reward was posted for information leading to the killer’s arrest.

The DSI’s investigation was, however, suspended in 2016 due to lack of progress.

Tomoko’s family has continued to travel to Thailand annually to seek updates, and the Japanese government has remained actively engaged in the case.

In 2019, the investigation was revived. Investigators narrowed the search area and conducted widespread DNA testing, including samples from 400 Thai people, but no matches were found.

Evidence later suggested that the perpetrator was unlikely to be Thai, because DNA recovered from the waistband of Kawashita’s clothing matched traits found in several ethnic groups, including Japanese and European populations, but only a partial profile was obtained.

A potential suspect mentioned in witness interviews has already died and been cremated, making DNA confirmation impossible.

The renewed investigation has now turned its attention to the French male witness, who is a European male, aged 35–40 at the time (now approximately 53–58), of slim build, 170–180cm tall, has a short beard and speaks English with a French accent.

He reportedly rented a blue-black Honda Click motorcycle from a shop called “Coffee Club” in Sukhothai city on the morning of November 25, 2007, using his passport as collateral. The shop did not retain a copy of the document.

He may have been traveling with a European woman, described as having long, wavy blonde hair.

The pair may have stayed at either the Old City Guesthouse or the Witoon Guesthouse on Jarodwithithong Road, and are believed to have left Sukhothai for Chiang Mai by public bus on November 25 or 26, 2007.

The caption on the sketch reads: “This sketch is based solely on an individual's memory of an event that occurred 18 years ago. It may not accurately reflect the actual appearance at the time."

In French, it reads: “Croquis tiré d’un souvenir personnel datant de 18 ans. Les détails peuvent être inexacts.”