Death sentence upheld for man over robbery-murder in southwest Japan
The Fukuoka High Court ruled that the first-instance verdict against Shoichi Sato by the Oita District Court, which rejected his claim of innocence, was not unreasonable, stating that his "criminal liability is extremely severe and the death penalty cannot be avoided."
Sato's defense, which had appealed on the grounds of factual error, filed an appeal with the Supreme Court on the same day.
Presiding Judge Koji Hiratsuka stated that the fact that blood from the female victim, Takako Yamana, was found in the trunk of Sato's car, strongly suggested that he was the perpetrator.
Factoring in indirect evidence such as sock prints left at the crime scene that matched the shape of Sato's feet, the high court ruled that the first instance ruling that found the defendant responsible was not unreasonable.
In past cases, even with no evidence of premeditation, there has been a tendency for the death penalty to be sought in cases where a strong intent to kill was demonstrated, and the manner of killing was deemed cruel.
The court ruled that the first-instance ruling was justified in terms of punishment befitting the crime, and for creating deterrence, even if there was no acknowledgement that Sato had planned to commit murder at the time of the intrusion.
According to the ruling, Sato fatally stabbed Yamana, a 79-year-old farmer, and her 51-year-old son Hiroyuki, a postal worker, multiple times with a knife and scissors on Feb. 2, 2020, at the house in Usa, stealing at least 54,000 yen ($366).
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
6 hours ago
19 Police Officials Subject to Punishment over Problematic Probe
News from Japan Aug 7, 2025 19:08 (JST) Tokyo, Aug. 7 (Jiji Press)--Japanese police authorities decided Thursday to punish 19 people who were involved in an investigation that led to false charges against executives of machinery maker Ohkawara Kakohki Co. They said that the 19 people, including retirees, flouted fundamental principles of conducting investigations and discouraged the systematic utilization of questionnaires for investigators on the problematic probe regarding Ohkawara Kakohki. Authorities found that Tomohisa Kondo, a retired official who was the head of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department's Public Security Bureau at the time of the arrests of three Ohkawara Kakohki executives, deserves an admonition by the commissioner-general of the National Police Agency. A counselor who was hired by the NPA should be given a warning by the chief of the NPA commissioner-general's Secretariat, while a former head of a foreign affairs division in the MPD, now retired, deserves an admonition from the MPD superintendent-general, they said. Two retired officials who played core roles in the investigation into Ohkawara Kakohki should face a one-month pay cut for their mishandling of the probe, authorities found. [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.] Jiji Press
9 hours ago
Ex-Tokyo Electron Subsidiary Worker Linked to Data Theft
News from Japan Technology Aug 7, 2025 15:58 (JST) Tokyo, Aug. 7 (Jiji Press)--Japanese chipmaking equipment maker Tokyo Electron Ltd. said Thursday that a former employee of its Taiwanese subsidiary was involved in the illegal acquisition of confidential information of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. The employee has been dismissed. Tokyo Electron said that no evidence of information leaks to third parties has been found. The company said it is fully cooperating with investigations by related authorities. The Taiwan High Prosecutors Office said on Tuesday that it has detained three people related to TSMC on suspicion of stealing confidential information from the company in violation of the national security law. Local media reports said that the target of the theft was information on TSMC's cutting-edge chips with a circuit line width of 2 nanometers, which the Taiwanese company plans to start mass producing as early as this year. [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.] Jiji Press
Japan Today
9 hours ago
- Japan Today
Death sentence upheld for man over robbery-murder in Oita Prefecture
A Japanese high court has upheld the death sentence for a 40-year-old man convicted of robbery-murder in the 2020 killings of an elderly woman and her son at their house in Oita Prefecture. The Fukuoka High Court ruled Tuesday that the first-instance verdict against Shoichi Sato by the Oita District Court, which rejected his claim of innocence, was not unreasonable, stating that his "criminal liability is extremely severe and the death penalty cannot be avoided." Sato's defense, which had appealed on the grounds of factual error, filed an appeal with the Supreme Court on the same day. Presiding Judge Koji Hiratsuka stated that the fact that blood from the female victim, Takako Yamana, was found in the trunk of Sato's car, strongly suggested that he was the perpetrator. Factoring in indirect evidence such as sock prints left at the crime scene that matched the shape of Sato's feet, the high court ruled that the first instance ruling that found the defendant responsible was not unreasonable. In past cases, even with no evidence of premeditation, there has been a tendency for the death penalty to be sought in cases where a strong intent to kill was demonstrated, and the manner of killing was deemed cruel. The court ruled that the first-instance ruling was justified in terms of punishment befitting the crime, and for creating deterrence, even if there was no acknowledgement that Sato had planned to commit murder at the time of the intrusion. According to the ruling, Sato fatally stabbed Yamana, a 79-year-old farmer, and her 51-year-old son Hiroyuki, a postal worker, multiple times with a knife and scissors on Feb. 2, 2020, at the house in Usa, stealing at least 54,000 yen. © KYODO
