On the 18th, the body of a woman was discovered in a drum at a recycling company in Yoshikawa City, Saitama Prefecture, Japan. An image depicting the situation when it was found. /Courtesy of ANN Broadcasting

The body of a woman, presumed to be elderly, was found inside a drum recovered near Tokyo, Japan. There were no noticeable external injuries on the body.

According to local media such as NHK, ANN, and Yomiuri Shimbun on the 22nd, a body believed to be an adult was discovered inside a drum located at a recycling company site in Yoshikawa City, Saitama Prefecture, on the 18th. The body was found when an employee of the company opened the drum lid to check the contents and reported to the police, saying, "A human foot is visible."

According to the police, the body is presumed to be that of an elderly woman and was covered with a blue waterproof cloth while still wearing clothes. It appeared to have been deceased for a considerable amount of time. The diameter of the drum was 60 cm, and its depth was 90 cm.

An investigation by the police revealed that the drum was collected by the recycling company from a shared warehouse in Tokorozawa City, Saitama Prefecture, on the 17th. This drum is believed to have been inside the shared warehouse by at least February of this year. The management company of the shared warehouse asked the recycling company to dispose of the items as the person who deposited the items had not paid the usage fees for about three months.

A shared warehouse in Tokorozawa City, Saitama Prefecture, Japan, where the drum containing the body of the woman was stored. /Courtesy of ANN Broadcasting

The fee for the smallest container in this shared warehouse is 5,000 yen (approximately 50,000 won). It is generally used for storing camping equipment, golf equipment, and various items of corporations.

This shared warehouse can be contracted via the internet, and it is said that one can use the services without encountering anyone while depositing and retrieving items. It is structured so that one can enter the shared warehouse site while still in a vehicle and unload items right next to the container. A man managing a field near the shared warehouse, Mr. A (38), said, "I come here almost every day, but I have never noticed any strange smells."

The police are investigating the contractors of the shared warehouse, believing that the body was disposed of before February of this year.

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