United States Department of State
Washington, D.C. 20520
October 16, 2023
F-2023-03110
Mr. Simohamed Benbattouche
medbenbattouche@proton.me
Dear Mr. Benbattouche:
This is in response to your December 20, 2022, request submitted pursuant to the Freedom of
Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. § 552, in which you requested documents related to records
regarding the 2021 death of David Kirk Ginder, an American citizen, which occurred in
Japan. The Department of State, Office of Information Programs and Services received your
FOIA request and assigned it tracking number F-2023-03110. Please include the tracking
number in all future communications concerning this FOIA request.
The Bureau of Consular Affairs, Office of Overseas Citizens' Services, conducted a search and
located 32 records, totaling 105 pages, responsive to your request. After careful review, we
determined that 27 documents may be released in part, five documents may be released in full.
The Department has considered the foreseeable harm standard when reviewing these records
and applying FOIA exemptions. The withheld information is exempt from release pursuant
to:
5 U.S.C. § 552(b)(6), which concerns material that, if released, would constitute a
clearly unwarranted invasion of an individual’s personal privacy.
This action closes your request in this office. For further assistance or to discuss any aspect of
your request, you may contact our FOIA Requester Service Center or our FOIA Public Liaison
by email to FOIAstatus@state.gov or telephone at (202) 261-8484.
If you are not satisfied with the Department’s determination in response to your FOIA request,
you may administratively appeal by writing to: Appeals Officer, Office of Information Programs
and Services, U.S. Department of State, A/GIS/IPS, HST Room B266, 2201 C Street, NW,
Washington, D.C. 20520, by email to FOIARequest@state.gov, or by fax to 202-485-1718.
Appeals must be postmarked within 90 calendar days and include a copy of this letter, clearly
stating why you disagree with the determination set forth in this response.
Additionally, if you are not satisfied with the Department’s determination in response to your
request, you may contact the Office of Government Information Services at the National
Archives and Records Administration to inquire about the FOIA Mediation Services they offer.
The contact information is as follows: Office of Government Information Services, National
Archives and Records Administration, 8601 Adelphi Road-OGIS, College Park, Maryland
20740-6001, email address: ogis@nara.gov; telephone: (202) 741-5770; toll free number: 1-877-
684-6448; fax: (202) 741-5769.
Sincerely,
Dwayne Williamson,
Acting Chief,
Management Support Unit
Overseas Citizens Services
Enclosure(s):
As stated
1
From:
Sent: Sunday, June 27, 2021 7:53 PM
To: Tokyo Consular ACS SCS DL
Cc:
Subject: RE: Duty Log for the weekend of 26-27 June
Confirmed name and DOB.
001
B(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)
2
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED
From: @state.gov>
Sent: Monday, June 28, 2021 8:49 AM
To: Tokyo Consular ACS SCS DL <TokyoConsularACSSCSDL@state.gov>
Cc: @state.gov>; @state.gov>;
@state.gov>; @state.gov>; @state.gov>
Subject: FW: Duty Log for the weekend of 26‐27 June
Importance: High
Let’s see if has any additional information before calling, but could someone from SCS call Arakawa police
department this morning to see if they are aware of this situation?
Thanks!
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED
From:
Sent: Monday, June 28, 2021 8:44 AM
To: Tokyo Consular DutyLog DL <TokyoConsularDutyLogDL@state.gov>
Subject: Duty Log for the weekend of 26‐27 June
Date: 26 June 2021
Name of Duty Officer:
Call #: 1
Time of Call: 14:54
Callers Details:
Officer
03‐3408‐0110 (ext. 3962)
Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, Harajuku Police Station.
US Citizen involved
Details of Call:
The police called the Embassy to report the death of Ms. . The doctor believes it is from natural
causes, but they are still investigating. . The next of kin, Mr.
, is aware of his mother's passing and he was living alone with her. He is also a U.S.
citizen. His contact information is below:
Date: Date: 27 June 2021
Name of Duty Officer:
Call #: 2
Time of Call: 0:45(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)
3
Callers Details:
US Citizen involved
Date of Birth: Unknown
Birthplace: Unknown
Resident Card#: Unknown
Details of Call:
called the Embassy to warn that may commit suicide. said the he and his
wife received messages from that suggested he was planning to take his life, and
requested that the Embassy check on his status.
Date: Date: 27 June 2021
Name of Duty Officer:
Call #s: 3,4,5
Time of Call:s 15:30, 17:00, 19:10
Callers Details:
( Likely Dutch citizen as he called from the Netherlands. No further information
on him)
US Citizen involved
Dave Ginder
Birthplace: Unknown
Resident Card#: Unknown
Details of Call:
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED
called the Embassy to warn that Mr. Ginder may commit suicide. said that Mr.
Ginder posted threatening tweets on his twitter account @near_koukai that suggested his suicide was
imminent. After called, called at 17:00 for the same reason and said that he
spoke to Mr. Ginder at 11:11 am that day for an hour before he just started hear music on loop for
another hour. gave the duty officer a google phone number for Mr. Ginder .
At around 19:10 called from the Netherlands saying that he has additional details on
Mr. Ginder. He provided the date of birth, the likely address, and a local phone number of the subject.
He also told the duty officer that he contacted the local police about Mr. Ginder’s status.(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)
From:
To: Tokyo Consular ACS SCS DL
Cc:
Subject: FW: Duty Log for the weekend of 26-27 June
Date: Sunday, June 27, 2021 7:49:00 PM
Importance: High
Let’s see if has any additional information before calling, but could someone from SCS call
Arakawa police department this morning to see if they are aware of this situation?
Thanks!
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED
From: @state.gov>
Sent: Monday, June 28, 2021 8:44 AM
To: Tokyo Consular DutyLog DL <TokyoConsularDutyLogDL@state.gov>
Subject: Duty Log for the weekend of 26-27 June
Date: 26 June 2021
Name of Duty Officer:
Call #: 1
Time of Call: 14:54
Callers Details:
Officer
03-3408-0110 (ext. 3962)
Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, Harajuku Police Station.
US Citizen involved
Details of Call:
The police called the Embassy to report the death of Ms. . The doctor believes it
is from natural causes, but they are still investigating.
. The next of kin, , is aware of his mother's passing and
he was living alone with her. He is also a U.S. citizen. His contact information is below:
Date: Date: 27 June 2021
Name of Duty Officer:
Call #: 2
002
B(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)
Time of Call: 0:45
Callers Details:
US Citizen involved
Date of Birth: Unknown
Birthplace: Unknown
Resident Card#: Unknown
Details of Call:
called the Embassy to warn that may commit suicide.
said the he and his wife received messages from that suggested he was
planning to take his life, and requested that the Embassy check on his status.
Date: Date: 27 June 2021
Name of Duty Officer:
Call #s: 3,4,5
Time of Call:s 15:30, 17:00, 19:10
Callers Details:
( Likely Dutch citizen as he called from the Netherlands. No
further information on him)
US Citizen involved
Dave Ginder
Birthplace: Unknown
Resident Card#: Unknown
Details of Call:
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED
called the Embassy to warn that Mr. Ginder may commit suicide. Mr.
said that Mr. Ginder posted threatening tweets on his twitter account
@near_koukai that suggested his suicide was imminent. After called, Mr.
called at 17:00 for the same reason and said that he spoke to Mr. Ginder at
11:11 am that day for an hour before he just started hear music on loop for another
hour. gave the duty officer a google phone number for Mr. Ginder
). At around 19:10 called from the Netherlands saying that
he has additional details on Mr. Ginder. He provided the date of birth, the likely
address, and a local phone number of the subject. He also told the duty officer that he(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b)
(6)
contacted the local police about Mr. Ginder’s status.
003
B(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b
)
(6
)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)
(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)
(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)
(b) (6)
004
B(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)
(b) (6)(b)
(6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)
(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)
005
B(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b)
(6)(b)
(6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)
(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(
b
)
(
6
)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)
From:
To: ; Tokyo Consular ACS SCS DL
Cc:
Subject: RE: Duty Log for the weekend of 26-27 June (WW: David Ginder)
Date: Sunday, June 27, 2021 8:29:36 PM
On June 28, I talked to Mr. , Crime Prevention Unit （防犯係）of Arakawa Police Station(03-
3801-0110 X2612). He was aware of the case and reported that he would contact the management
company and unlock the room. I gave Mr. my direct number to call me during the office hours
and asked him to call the switchboard after 16:30.
According to Mr. , the police visited Mr. Ginder’s room twice yesterday (late afternoon and
night) but had no answer. With the neighbor’s cooperation, the police tried to peak the room from
the balcony but the wall prevented it and was not able to. The police also called the cell number but
did not hear any sounds and could not confirm the cell phone in the room. The police also reported
that when they pressed the room number at the entrance of the building, they got an error
message. The police said that the electricity could be cut off for not paying the utility bill.
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED
From:
Sent: Monday, June 28, 2021 9:01 AM
To: @state.gov>; @state.gov>; Tokyo Consular ACS
SCS DL <TokyoConsularACSSCSDL@state.gov>
Cc: @state.gov>; @state.gov>;
@state.gov>
Subject: RE: Duty Log for the weekend of 26-27 June
tracked down several phone numbers for Mr. Ginder and lit them up for much of the night. I
also called several times. also emailed him, and the operator helped her call the police who
reported that they went to the apartment building earlier in the day. They think they identified the
right apartment, but there was no answer when they knocked.
Unfortunately, she never heard back from him.
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED
From:
Sent: Monday, June 28, 2021 8:53 AM
To: @state.gov>; Tokyo Consular ACS SCS DL
<TokyoConsularACSSCSDL@state.gov>
Cc: @state.gov>; @state.gov>;
@state.gov>; @state.gov>
Subject: RE: Duty Log for the weekend of 26-27 June
006
B(b)
(6)(b)
(6)(b)
(6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(
b
)
(
6
)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)
I will call Arakawa Police.
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED
From:
Sent: Monday, June 28, 2021 8:49 AM
To: Tokyo Consular ACS SCS DL <TokyoConsularACSSCSDL@state.gov>
Cc:
Subject: FW: Duty Log for the weekend of 26-27 June
Importance: High
Let’s see if has any additional information before calling, but could someone from SCS call
Arakawa police department this morning to see if they are aware of this situation?
Thanks!
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED
From:
Sent: Monday, June 28, 2021 8:44 AM
To: Tokyo Consular DutyLog DL <TokyoConsularDutyLogDL@state.gov>
Subject: Duty Log for the weekend of 26-27 June
Date: 26 June 2021
Name of Duty Officer:
Call #: 1
Time of Call: 14:54
Callers Details:
Officer
03-3408-0110 (ext. 3962)
Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, Harajuku Police Station.
US Citizen involved
Details of Call:
The police called the Embassy to report the death of . The doctor believes it(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)
is from natural causes, but they are still investigating. She also had known heart
problems. The next of kin, , is aware of his mother's passing and
he was living alone with her. He is also a U.S. citizen. His contact information is below:
Date: Date: 27 June 2021
Name of Duty Officer:
Call #: 2
Time of Call: 0:45
Callers Details:
US Citizen involved
Date of Birth: Unknown
Birthplace: Unknown
Resident Card#: Unknown
Details of Call:
called the Embassy to warn that may commit suicide.
said the he and his wife received messages from that suggested he was
planning to take his life, and requested that the Embassy check on his status.
Date: Date: 27 June 2021
Name of Duty Officer:
Call #s: 3,4,5
Time of Call:s 15:30, 17:00, 19:10
Callers Details:
(No further information on him)
( Likely Dutch citizen as he called from the Netherlands. No
further information on him)
US Citizen involved
Dave Ginder
Birthplace: Unknown
Resident Card#: Unknown
Details of Call:(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED
called the Embassy to warn that Mr. Ginder may commit suicide. Mr.
Rogers said that Mr. Ginder posted threatening tweets on his twitter account
@near_koukai that suggested his suicide was imminent. After called, Mr.
called at 17:00 for the same reason and said that he spoke to Mr. Ginder at
11:11 am that day for an hour before he just started hear music on loop for another
hour. gave the duty officer a google phone number for Mr. Ginder
). At around 19:10 called from the Netherlands saying that
he has additional details on Mr. Ginder. He provided the date of birth, the likely
address, and a local phone number of the subject. He also told the duty officer that he
contacted the local police about Mr. Ginder’s status.(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b)
(6)(b) (6)
007
B(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b)
(6)(b)
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(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)
(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)
(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)
(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b)
(6)(b) (6)(b)
(6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)
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(A)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)
008
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009
B(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)
(b) (6)(b) (6)
(b) (6)
(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)
1
Subject: FW: David Ginder
From:
Sent: Wednesday, June 30, 2021 9:04 AM
To:
Subject: RE: David Ginder
+ :
Received a call from Arakawa police this morning saying that they are now coordinating with the Tokyo Medical
Examiner’s Office to examine the body to determine the cause of death. In general, no autopsy is conducted if it was
apparent that the deceased passed away by hanging and the police believes no foul play was involved. But they
understand that non‐Japanese family likely to request an autopsy regardless. The police wants to know asap if David’s
spouse wishes an autopsy to be conducted or not and asked us to reach out to him. I saw an email from the spouse, so
will draft a reply for your clearance including the information above.
SBU -PRIVACY OR PII
rom:
Sent: Tuesday, June 29, 2021 5:23 PM
To:
Subject: RE: David Ginder
Thank you team for the tremendous work on this. I really, really appreciate the group effort on a very sad, difficult case.
010
B(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)
1
From: U.S. Embassy Tokyo ACS
Subject: FW: David Ginder car
From:
Sent: Thursday, July 1, 2021 11:45 AM
To:
Subject: RE: David Ginder car
The police told me that they found a car key among Mr. Ginder’s effects and it is in their possession.
SBU -PRIVACY OR PII
From:
Sent: Thursday, July 1, 2021 11:39 AM
To:
Subject: RE: David Ginder car
Remind me why we thought originally there was a car? I can’t find the original mention of a car but I know someone
mentioned it to us?
011
B(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b) (6)(b)
(6)
From: U.S. Embassy Tokyo ACS
To:
Cc: U.S. Embassy Tokyo ACS
Subject: Re: Information for David Ginder case/file
Date: Wednesday, June 30, 2021 11:17:05 PM
Attachments: Letter of Instruction 6-29-21.pdf
Letter of Condolence 6-29-21.pdf
Dear ,
You are not bothering us at all. Helping in these situations is our job. We very much appreciate
your frequent and reliable communication with us.
To make your point-of-contact, please add his information to the Letter of Instruction
attached to this email. Please complete and return the Letter of Instruction to us as soon as
possible. If it's easier for you, you can take a picture of the completed document with your
phone and email it to us. Once we receive this document from you, we can recognize
as the point-of-contact who can assist with making the necessary arrangements in Japan. We
will also let the police and landlord know that is the point-of-contact, which will allow
to communicate with them directly to take care of tasks, including helping with
David's estate and belongings.
The Letter of Instruction will NOT designate as your power-of-attorney. For your
information, in the future, you may be requested to provide a formal power-of-attorney to
handle estate matters with banks in Japan and for other taks, but we can notify you if/when
we become aware of that.
Eventually, the Japanese authorities will send us a Japanese report of death. We will then
prepare and issue a Form DS-2060, Consular Report of the Death of a U.S. Citizen Abroad
(CRDA) based on the Japanese report of death. This document is in English and can generally
be used in U.S. courts to help settle estate mattes. We will send you 20 certified copies of the
CRDA free-of- charge, and we will also enclose a photocopy of the Japanese death report.
Attached is a Letter of Condolence that has additional information about the CRDA.
Regarding scattering David’s ashes, it may depend on local regulations. We can discuss this
further with Mr. Imai if he is willing to assist with this. We will also try to obtain information on
any possible life insurance or death benefit from David’s employer.
Sincerely,
American Citizen Services
U.S. Embassy Tokyo
From:
Sent: Thursday, July 1, 2021 3:21 AM
To: U.S. Embassy Tokyo ACS <TOKYOACS@state.gov>
Subject: Re: Information for David Ginder case/file
Hello,
Just another few questions, I'm sorry for continually
bugging you all, as I'm sure you have lots of other
012
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.
