The body of a Japanese woman who was killed over the weekend in a wave of deadly bomb attacks that hit Sri Lanka arrived home Thursday accompanied by her injured husband and their two children.
Kaori Takahashi, 39, was caught in one of the eight blasts that struck Colombo and other parts of the country while eating breakfast at a hotel restaurant with her husband Hikaru. The attacks killed 359 people, including at least 39 foreigners.
A coffin covered in a blue sheet was unloaded from an airplane at Narita airport near Tokyo around 7:30 a.m. A bouquet of white flowers was placed on the coffin and airport officials bowed deeply in prayer.
Japanese police will conduct an autopsy on the body to determine the cause of death and are investigating the attacks.
Junzo Yamamoto, who heads the National Public Safety Commission, told reporters that officials of the National Police Agency have been dispatched to Sri Lanka to gather information.
Noting that Japan will be the venue for a number of major events over the coming 18 months, Yamamoto said, "I will instruct police to take all possible counterterrorism measures."
Japan hosts the Group of 20 summit in Osaka in late June. It will also host the Rugby World Cup in the fall and the Olympic and Paralympic Games next year.
Boarding the plane in Colombo, where he works in a Japanese restaurant, Hikaru Takahashi, 39, ran into Sri Lankan acquaintance Himani Wijemanne and they tearfully embraced.
Himani, who works for a travel agency, became acquainted with the Takahashis a few years ago. He told reporters that Kaori was a very good person and he feels very sad over her death.
The attacks targeted luxury hotels and churches as Easter Sunday masses were in progress.
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