TOKYO, Aug. 16 -- Justice Ministry officials on Tuesday handed to U.S. authorities a Tokyo man facing charges of first degree murder of a Japanese fortune-teller and her son in Honolulu last February. The 29-year-old Raita Fukusaku is the first Japanese national charged with murder to be extradited to the United States, officials said.
Fukusaku made a last ditch attempt to avoid being handed over, citing deteriorating health. His family said he has lost 44 pounds (20 kilograms) in weight while being detained. Fukusaku, who denied the charges, will be arraigned at Honolulu district court within a week of his arrival in Hawaii aboard a regular flight, Japan's Kyodo News Service reported. Justice Minister Isao Maeda on July 19 ordered the suspect to be extradited to Hawaii for trial on charges of killing fortune teller Kototome Fujita, 56, and her 20-year-old son, Goro, in Honolulu. The suspect returned to Japan directly after the alleged murders and was detained on April 3 after a request by U.S. authorities. Fujita's body was found in a burning Honolulu apartment Feb. 23 and her son's charred body was found the following day in a car parked in a nearby parking lot. Both had been shot. Police linked the murder to Fukusaku, who knew the slain son, after he allegedly tried to sell the fortune-tellers's jewelry at a pawnshop in Japan. Investigators said they found bullets like those used in the killings hidden in a sofa at Fukusaku's apartment.
