TOKYO — Prosecutors have sought a 25-year jail sentence for a man charged with attempted murder and arson while dressed in a Joker costume on a Tokyo train in 2021.
During a trial at the Tachikawa branch of the Tokyo District Court, the prosecutors argued the actions of Kyota Hattori, 26, were premeditated and "his motive was extremely selfish and deserving of strong condemnation."
Hattori has admitted to stabbing a man and starting a fire onboard the train but denied the fire was intended to kill other passengers.
He has said in previous court sessions that he wanted to go on a killing spree to receive the death penalty as he felt his life had no worth.
According to the indictment, Hattori stabbed a man in his 70s and attempted to kill other passengers by sprinkling lighter fluid and igniting it on a Keio Line train around 8 p.m. on Oct 31, 2021.
The stabbed man was briefly in critical condition, and his injury required around three months of treatment, it said.
The verdict will be handed down on July 31.
Source:
Japan Today, Staff, July 22, 2023
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