An autopsy case of salt poisoning from drinking a large quantity of shoyu (Japanese soy sauce)

We report herein a suicide case of salt poisoning from drinking a large quantity of shoyu (Japanese soy sauce). The deceased was a 60-year-old housewife who was found dead in her bedroom by her husband. An empty 1,000 ml bottle of shoyu, which had been purchased on the day before death, was discovered in the kitchen. Macroscopically, the alimentary tract contained a yellowish-brown liquid-like material with the strong smell of shoyu, and slight lung and brain edema were noted. The 1,000 ml bottle of shoyu contained approximately 160 g of salt. Therefore, the cause of death was determined to have been salt poisoning from drinking a large quantity of shoyu.