Man charged in killing of ex-boss
By Christie Wilson and Timothy Hurley
Advertiser Staff Writers
Big Island police yesterday charged a Waikoloa man with second-degree murder in connection with the stabbing death of his former restaurant boss Tuesday.
Yasushi Kato, 28, is accused of killing Yukichi Ito, 61, owner of the Hama Yu Japanese Restaurant in The Kings' Shops in the Waikoloa resort. Police said Ito was stabbed 30 times. Kato, a Japanese national, was being held without bail.
Kato had worked at the restaurant for two months before he was fired Monday by Ito, said acting police Lt. Llewellyn Fukui. Police were unsure of the reason for the firing.
The suspect returned to the business the next day to confront Ito, and during the ensuing argument in the restaurant's foyer, police said, Kato used a 10- to 12-inch sushi knife to repeatedly stab the restaurant owner about 4:30 p.m. Tuesday.
The restaurant closes between lunch and dinner and was not open at the time. Fukui said three other employees were in different parts of the restaurant and witnessed the argument.
Kato was taken to the Kona Community Hospital for treatment of minor cuts before being transferred to the Kona police cellblock.
Friends of Ito said they would miss a man they described as a kind soul.
"All of us are in shock. We can't believe it," said golfing buddy Allan Ikawa, president of Big Island Candies. "You would never think something like that could happen to him. I've never seen him angry — he was always laughing and joking."
Ikawa said he first met Ito when they were paired together for a golf tournament more than 10 years ago. At the time, Ito managed the Waikoloa Bay Club.
Ito was transferred back to Japan but, to return to Hawai'i, he bought the Hama Yu and worked hard to make it profitable. He opened another restaurant in Kona and later sold it.
"It's so sad that the great ones always seem to leave us unexpectedly and sometimes unappreciated," Ikawa said.
Reach Christie Wilson at cwilson@honoluluadvertiser.com or (808) 244-4880 and Timothy Hurley at thurley@honoluluadvertiser.com or (808) 244-4880.
