A 35-year-old man named Masashi Tanimoto was arrested in connection with the fatal stabbing of a 24-year-old female office worker in a Kobe condominium on August 20, 2025. Tanimoto had been staying at a hotel near the victim's workplace for several days prior to the attack, arriving around August 17. Surveillance footage shows him following the victim for approximately 50 minutes, starting minutes before she left work and continuing until the attack. He reportedly targeted her because she was his "type," although he claimed he did not know her personally. Police investigations revealed that Tanimoto had a history of stalking and assault; three years earlier, he received a suspended prison sentence for similar offenses involving another woman in Kobe. Additionally, about three days before the murder, he is suspected of stalking a different woman in the same area, gaining unauthorized entry into her apartment by following her through an auto-lock entrance. After the stabbing, Tanimoto took a taxi to the hotel and then to JR Shin-Kobe Station, from where he traveled toward Tokyo, apparently attempting to evade capture. The murder weapon, a knife with a blade approximately 15 centimeters long, was found near the crime scene. Police have conducted searches of Tanimoto's residence and employee dormitory in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward, seizing materials related to the case. Authorities continue to investigate the motive and the suspect's movements, including his planning of the Kobe trip about a month in advance when he purchased round-trip Shinkansen tickets. The police suspect that Tanimoto obsessively monitored the victim's workplace, appearing near her office about 50 times and displaying unusual fixation. The case has raised concerns about the effectiveness of previous legal measures, as experts noted the need for probation supervision following his earlier conviction to prevent recidivism.