Japan police probe death of Swiss-based financier

TOKYO (AFP) - Bodies believed to be those of an international financier and his wife who went missing from their swanky Tokyo apartment after returning from Switzerland have been unearthed in Japan, reports said on Tuesday.

Mr Makoto Shimomi, 51, who reportedly runs a Liechtenstein-based investment fund, and Ms Mie Shimomi, 48, disappeared after leaving their luxury condo in Tokyo's upmarket Ginza district on Dec 7.

The couple, who have a number of homes both in Japan and abroad and are reportedly known on Monaco's social scene, told friends they were going to a party 150 km outside the capital.

Police say there was no such event and they now believe the pair were kidnapped and strangled.