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Man given death penalty for murder, arson in Japan

Article (news)

Kyodo News

A Japanese court sentenced a 21-year-old man to death on Thursday for the 2021 murder of two and arson, in the first case of capital punishment being given to an offender who was a minor at the time of the crime but whose name has been revealed under a 2022 revision of the Juveniles Law.The defendant, Yuki Endo, was 19 at the time of the attack. The law change in April 2022 allows media to reveal the identities of 18- and 19-year-old offenders once they are indicted.The media was previously prohibited from reporting names, ages, occupations, residences and appearances or publishing photographs of minors under 20.Endo was accused of stabbing the 55-year-old father and 50-year-old mother of a female acquaintance at their home in Kofu, Yamanashi Prefecture, on Oct. 12, 2021, causing them to bleed to death.He was also charged with injuring the acquaintance&#x27;s younger sister and setting fire to the house, according to the indictment. The acquaintance was not injured.Under Japan&#x27;s Penal Code, arson of a dwelling in which a person is present can also be punished by death.Prosecutors had sought the death penalty, saying the defendant was fully accountable in light of his deliberateness and planning of the criminal acts. They said age was not a reason for the court to avoid giving a death penalty.The defense team argued that the defendant had a diminished capacity at the time of the attack, adding his behavior could be corrected, they said.

A Japanese court sentenced a 21-year-old man to death on Thursday for the 2021 murder of two and arson.