Kodansha deputy editor arrested for allegedly murdering wife

Police on Jan. 10 arrested an employee of publisher Kodansha Ltd. on suspicion of murdering his wife, who was found dead at their Tokyo home last August, police said.

Arrested was Pak Jong Hyon, 41. According to an investigative source Pak, a deputy editor, is a former editor for a magazine carrying the popular manga title "Attack on Titan."

According to an investigative source, Pak called emergency services from at his home at around 2:40 a.m. on Aug. 9, 2016, saying, "I've come home and my wife has collapsed." His 38-year-old wife was found near the entrance of the home, and was confirmed dead at a hospital.

When police questioned Pak, he said his wife had committed suicide. He reportedly told investigators, "I got drunk and came home, and my wife was holding a knife, so I held her down. Later, when I noticed, she was dead."

An autopsy, however, found evidence that his wife had been strangled. Based on this and the state of Pak's home, police appear to have judged that Pak killed his wife by strangling her.

"Attack on Titan," a popular fantasy story about a battle between humans and titans, began as a manga series in Bessatsu Shonen Magazine in 2009 and was later adapted into a television anime.