Taiwanese woman found dead in Mount Fuji hotel was daughter of air rescue chief, suspect linked to fraud group

A 38-year-old Taiwanese woman found dead at a hotel in Fujikawaguchiko, Yamanashi Prefecture, on October 19 has been identified as the daughter of Taiwan's National Airborne Service Corps chief, while the 27-year-old Taiwanese woman arrested at the scene has been linked to a fraud group, according to Taiwanese media.

The deceased, identified as Ching Yun-jung, was on a tour group trip to Japan. When she failed to show up at the meeting point around 8am on October 19, hotel staff went to check her room and found her lying on the bed with no vital signs. A judicial autopsy confirmed she died from excessive blood loss after a deep stab wound to the left side of her neck that reached the carotid artery .

The 27-year-old suspect, Yang Min-han, was found in the room at the time. Police seized a bloodstained kitchen knife with a blade about 12cm long and arrested her on suspicion of violating the Firearm and Sword Possession Control Law. She was transferred to prosecutors on October 21 . Police have not yet confirmed whether she will face murder charges and are investigating the relationship between the two women and the circumstances of the death .

Taiwanese media reported that the deceased's father is Ching Yen-yuan, head of the National Airborne Service Corps. He had been scheduled to attend a Legislative Yuan session on October 22 but took leave to fly to Japan to handle his daughter's affairs .

The suspect's background has also drawn attention. According to court records cited by Mirror Media, a woman with the same name was sentenced by the Kaohsiung District Court in August 2025 to three months' imprisonment and a NT$10,000 fine for money laundering after providing two bank account cards and passwords to a fraud group, leading to six victims transferring money into the accounts . Some Taiwanese media have used the word "suspected" in linking the previous case to the arrested woman, and the identity match has not been fully confirmed .

The case has raised questions because reports initially said the two women had separately signed up for the tour and did not know each other, but netizens later found their social media accounts were following each other, and the deceased had posted about covering more than NT$10,000 for someone else . The suspect reportedly admitted buying the knife during the trip but has not admitted to killing the woman .

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