Japanese man dies due to cold after girlfriend locks him out in the balcony, she claims 'done nothing'

A 54-year-old woman from southern Japan has been arrested on charges of assault and lethal confinement following the death of her partner, who reportedly succumbed to hypothermia after being locked outside on a balcony overnight.

The incident occurred in February 2022, when the woman allegedly ordered her 49-year-old partner, who was her common-law husband, to go outside while naked.

She then confined him to the balcony, where he remained exposed to the cold temperatures overnight.


According to local official Masafumi Tanigawa, police were called to the scene the following day after an emergency call was made. Upon arrival, they found the victim "nearly dead" inside the apartment.

He later died from hypothermia. The temperature that night had dropped to a chilling 3.7°C (38.7°F), as reported by the Mainichi daily.

This tragic event followed a prior incident in which the woman reportedly attacked her partner with a knife, causing injuries to his nose that took two weeks to heal.

The woman, who has not been named, denies the charges, telling police, "I've done nothing," according to Tanigawa. The exact reasons for the delay in formally charging her have not been disclosed by the police.

The case has drawn attention in Japan, where such incidents of extreme domestic violence remain rare but shocking.

(With inputs from AFP)