Japan | Death penalty sought over fatal crossbow attack

KOBE – Public prosecutors on Wednesday sought the death penalty for Hideaki Nozu, who has been charged with killing three members of his family with a crossbow at his home in Takarazuka, Hyogo Prefecture, in June 2020.

At a hearing at Kobe District Court, the defense called for a prison sentence of 25 years to be given to the 28-year-old defendant. Sentencing will take place on Oct. 31.

The prosecution said that Nozu's autism spectrum disorder did not significantly affect his motivation and that his acts were planned.

The defendant maintained the capacity to control his actions and was fully competent, as he hesitated to carry out his plan, it said.

The prosecution added that he treated life extraordinarily lightly as his acts were based on his wish to be sentenced to death. "His responsibility is incomparably great," it said.

The defense insisted that "his autism spectrum disorder strongly influenced his belief that, by ending his relationship with his family, he would be given the death penalty, and that he was in a diminished capacity."

Nozu has been indicted on charges of killing his grandmother, 75, younger brother, 22, and mother, 47, at his home in Takarazuka on June 4, 2020.

He has also been charged with attacking his aunt, 55, at a separate location, leaving her with serious injuries, including a broken neck.

Source: Japan Times, Staff, October 15, 2025

"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed,
but by the punishments that the good have inflicted."

— Oscar Wilde

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