Closeup: The Zama Nine Murders

Takes an in-depth look at a series of murders that shocked the nation in 2017. Warning: The incidents depicted are disturbing and may not be appropriate for all readers.

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Episode 1
October 2017: A shocking discovery makes waves in Japan. Learn about the events leading up to this event in this episode.
Notes: This episode contains important vocabulary related to this case, as well as a note on the difference between two terms for dead bodies and an explanation about the name of a crime that appears frequently in the news.
Editions Status Total Readers
Standard Unread 7167
Episode 2
A concerned older brother begins his own private investigation in the hopes of tracking down his sister.
Notes: This episode contains excellent vocabulary related to the online world, such as words for "username," "password," "Twitter," and more, as well as interesting grammar notes, as always.
Editions Status Total Readers
Standard Unread 3162
Pro
Episode 3
The diligence and alertness of a concerned older brother lead police to a gruesome discovery.
Notes: This episode contains important expressions, such as one that means "to encounter a dangerous situation," as well as a note on two verbs that use the same kanji character but mean something slightly different.
Editions Status Total Readers
Standard Unread 2004
Pro
Episode 4
Police work to make sense of the scene.
Notes: This episode contains important vocabulary, such as "a person's identity," "a DNA analysis," and more.
Editions Status Total Readers
Standard Unread 1402
Pro
Episode 5
Digs into the suspect's past and possible motives for the crimes.
Notes: This episode introduces interesting vocabulary, including a word that means "to facilitate" and another that means "to go viral."
Editions Status Total Readers
Standard Unread 1281
Pro
Episode 6
How did the suspect gain the trust of so many women in such a short period of time?
Notes: This episode contains notes on two useful expressions, one that means "to be a support to someone," and another that means "to view a situation as being such-and-such = to assess as."
Editions Status Total Readers
Standard Unread 1163
Pro
Episode 7
In interviews with police, the suspect describes how the killings were carried out.
Notes: This episode contains some challenging vocabulary, such as the word for "aiding and abetting."
Editions Status Total Readers
Standard Unread 1087
Pro
Episode 8
The suspect partially explains his motivations for a key action, but questions remain.
Notes: This episode contains a few vocabulary words related to the human body that may be unfamiliar, as well as a note on a verb that can be used to refer to the operation of certain kinds of machines.
Editions Status Total Readers
Standard Unread 1033
Pro
Episode 9
An unusual aspect of the crimes causes people to wonder if the killer had other motives.
Notes: This episode contains a discussion of two words that can both mean "organ."
Editions Status Total Readers
Standard Unread 987
Pro
Episode 10
The nature of the crimes understandably causes people to wonder whether there is more to the incidents.
Notes: This episode features a breakdown of a multi-sentence structure and a note on a simple way of relaying secondhand information.
Editions Status Total Readers
Standard Unread 947
Pro
Episode 11
Questions remain as the suspect awaits trial.
Notes: This episode contains a note on an expression that means "setting aside X," as well as a discussion of the expression aku made mo.
Editions Status Total Readers
Standard Unread 944