Early Life
Matsunaga was born in Kokura Kita-ku, Kitakyūshū, Fukuoka Prefecture and grew up in Yanagawa. He received good grades in school and had a charming personality, but tended to exhibit disciplinary problems. Eventually he was transferred to another high school because of his relationship with a junior high school girl. He married at 19, and had a son.
In October 1982, during his marriage, he became involved with Junko Ogata, in addition to the ten or so mistresses with whom he was already involved. In 1984 he promised to marry Junko, but Junko's mother, Shizumi, did not approve of Matsunaga's abuse of her daughter. He then raped Shizumi as well.
Junko attempted suicide in February 1985. Matsunaga then convinced Junko that her family hated her because of this. He and Junko began living together in 1985. Two years earlier, Matsunaga opened a futon company named the World, and in 1985 purchased a building in which to operate the company.
Around that time, he began to electrically shock his employees on the third floor of the building. He would sometimes suddenly and vigorously start shouting towards other men, saying things like "there is a spirit behind you! It is sucking away your fortune!" occasionally mixing in religious words like saṃsāra and referring to kami. His wife escaped with her son and accused him of domestic violence. He had stolen 180 million yen (approximately USD$2.2 million) through fraud or blackmail.
In 1992, he and Junko evaded police capture and were put on the nation's Most wanted list.
Read more about this topic: Futoshi Matsunaga
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