The Monster with 21 Faces

The story of a faceless organization targeting Japanese consumable companies.

Much like Hershey’s and Nestle are the snack kings in America, two different brands hold the same cultural significance in Japan. Even my American listeners know the name Pocky, and next time you pass it on the supermarket shelf, you’ll think of a story of extortion, kidnapping, and deceit. Over the course of a year and half, Japanese food companies were tormented by an elusive group blackmailing and poisoning the products of the country’s biggest consumer brand names. They teased the police and got away without a trace. This is the story of the Monster with 21 Faces.

On Sunday March 18th, 1984 at around 9 PM, two armed, masked men set this whole story into motion in one of the top luxury residential areas of Japan. In the darkness and rain, they used a rickety stepladder to scale an 11 foot tall brick wall and obstructive hedgery into a large, regal residence. They started in a small house, off to the side of the 2-story western style mansion.

Armed with a pistol and rifle, the men broke into the home of 70 year old Yoshie Ezaki. They used gum tape and a torch to break a window pane and enter silently on the other side of the house. With a knife, they cut her telephone line and found her in the back living room watching…