Indonesia investigates murder of Japanese couple in Bali

Jimbaran, a fishing village and resort area in southern Bali, where the scorched corpses of Japanese couple Nurio Matsuba, 76, and his 73-year-old wife Hiroko were discovered on Sep 4 by their Indonesian foster son.

DEPASAR, Indonesia: Indonesian police have launched a murder investigation into the deaths of an elderly Japanese couple whose bodies were found burned beyond recognition on the holiday island of Bali.

The scorched corpses of Nurio Matsuba, 76, and his 73-year-old wife Hiroko were discovered on Sep 4 by their Indonesian foster son in Jimbaran, a fishing village and resort area in southern Bali.

"This is a planned murder ... it's clear the person has planned it before going to the victims' house," Denpasar police chief Hadi Purnomo said on Monday.

Investigators are looking for more than one suspect and have interviewed 42 witnesses so far, ranging from family to business associates, Purnomo said.

They are yet to establish a motive for the murders.

The couple had lived in Bali for seven years and the husband was a broker in a tuna export company, according to police. Authorities are still waiting for the results of an autopsy but initial examinations revealed multiple stab wounds to the Matsubas.

Investigators found rope and two knives at the crime scene.