Police in Tokyo and the father of a 21-year-old university student who was murdered in 1996, on Tuesday appealed to the public for any information that might help solve the case.

Junko Kobayashi, a Sophia University student, was bound and stabbed to death inside her house which was then torched, in Katsushika Ward on Sept 9, 1996. Police have questioned more than 75,000 people and followed up on over 1,100 leads but have yet to come close to identifying a suspect or suspects.

The murder is believed to have taken place at around 3.55 p.m. Around this time, a man in an ocher-colored raincoat was seen standing outside Kobayashi’s home in the rain without an umbrella, staring up at the second floor.

In addition, type A blood was found in DNA at the crime scene, which police believe came from a hand or arm injury sustained by the murderer.

On Tuesday, the victim’s father, Kenji Kobayashi, and the chief of the Kameari Police Station, laid flowers at the scene of the murder, NTV reported.

Kobayashi said, "We can never forgive the perpetrator who brutally took the precious life, dreams and hopes of this young woman.”

Police have offered a 3 million yen reward for information leading to an arrest. The family of the victim has also offered a further 5 million yen.

Anyone with any information is asked to call Kameari police station at 03-3607-0110.

Adblock test (Why?)