Slain British woman's parents seek justice in Japan

TOKYO, June 27 (Reuters) The parents of a slain 22-year-old British woman arrived in Japan today to appeal for help in finding her killer, three months after the main suspect in the case eluded police by fleeing barefoot.

Twenty-two year-old English teacher Lindsay Hawker's body was found naked in a bathtub filled with sand on the balcony of an apartment near Tokyo on March 26. She had apparently been suffocated.

Police are searching for Tatsuya Ichihashi, 28, who lived alone in the apartment and fled, losing his shoes and a rucksack in the chase, when police arrived to question him after Hawker was reported missing by a friend.

''We hope for justice for Lindsay. That's all we're here for,'' Lindsay's father, William Hawker, told reporters after arriving at Narita airport with Lindsay's mother, Julia, from their home in Brandon, near Coventry.

A British official said last month that 100 Japanese police officers had been assigned to the case, and police have released photographs and video footage of the suspect in an effort to make headway. But no significant progress in the case has been reported.

Two British police officers arrived in Japan last week to act as liaison officers with the family, although British officials have said they were satisfied with the Japanese investigation.

The killing initially sparked massive TV coverage in Japan, where crime rates remain relatively low, but it has recently dropped off the media agenda.

Reuters LPB DB1041