KAGOSHIMA, Japan - A district court on Monday sentenced a 19-year-old man to 18 years in prison for the 2024 murder of a nursery teacher on a remote island in southwestern Japan, rejecting his defense team's call for a judgement that would potentially send him to a juvenile reformatory.
The court found the man, who was a 17-year-old high school student at the time, guilty of fatally stabbing Fusako Kikuchi, 55, at her home on Tokunoshima Island in Kagoshima Prefecture. Prosecutors had sought a 22-year prison term.
The man has not been identified because he was a minor at the time of the crime.
In handing down the ruling at the Kagoshima District Court, Presiding Judge Mariko Koizumi said the man decided to commit murder after becoming paranoid that noise from the woman's home was harassment directed at him.
Prior to the murder, the man broke into the woman's house on two occasions, the judge said.
During the trial, his defense argued that the case be transferred to a family court apparently in the hope of having him placed in a juvenile reformatory, asking the court to heed to factors such as his family situation.
But the court concluded that his developmental disorder and family circumstances had limited impact on the case.
"There is no exceptional circumstance that would justify protective measures," the ruling said, although it was noted that his paranoia likely was influenced by his developmental disabilities and that his family circumstances merited "some sympathy."
According to the ruling, the man entered Kikuchi's house through an unlocked window between about 4:40 p.m. and 5:20 p.m. on Nov. 20, 2024, and stabbed her multiple times in the chest and other parts of her body.
He was arrested about two months after the killing. Following a psychiatric examination to check whether he could be held criminally responsible, the Kagoshima Family Court, where he was initially sent, decided that he should be referred to prosecutors for criminal proceedings.
The man had admitted to the charge and apologized to the victim's family in court, but the ruling in the lay judge trial reflected doubt that he has adequately reflected on the matter.
A defense lawyer told reporters, "We will consult with the defendant to decide whether to file an appeal."
