Police officers investigating the crime scene on January 15, 2022 in Bunkyo Ward, Tokyo.
Why did the man become obsessed with the third category of science at the University of Tokyo? At the time, a private high school in Nagoya City was charged with attempted murder and forcible obstruction of business in connection with the stabbing of three people, including students taking the Common University Admissions Test, on the street in front of Tokyo University in Bunkyo Ward, Tokyo, in January last year. The first trial of a 19-year-old man as a lay judge was held on the 12th at the Tokyo District Court (presiding judge Yoshihisa Nakao). During the opening statement, the man’s background and the circumstances leading up to the crime were revealed. (Kanako Kodera)
◆“I want to be a doctor” in second year of junior high school
“I am very sorry for causing hurt to the hearts and bodies of these three people.” First trial at Tokyo District Court. At his arraignment, the man, who appeared in court in a dark blue suit, admitted the charges against him and spoke in clear tones.
The man is said to have stabbed and injured a man and woman who were in their third year of high school at the time and a man in his 70s who was passing by with a kitchen knife, and threw a fire starter at Todaimae Station on the Tokyo Metro.
According to the defense’s opening statement, the man was a normal, serious child who played after school and participated in club activities during his elementary school days. In his second year of junior high school, he decided he wanted to become a doctor after watching a documentary about Hideto Yoshioka, a doctor who provides free medical support in developing countries. As he continued to study, his grades improved, and in his third year of junior high school, he was ranked in the single digits in his grade. He gained confidence by saying, “If you work hard, the results will come.”
The man was the eldest son and had younger brothers and sisters, and the lawyer pointed out that his parents “couldn’t pay attention to him.” He began to work harder on his studies, thinking, “I shouldn’t be a burden to my parents. I need to be independent.”
◆Declaring “Science Category 3” in class
Meanwhile, in the high school entrance exam, he failed his first choice and experienced his first setback. In order to overcome his setback, he decided to enter the third class of science at the University of Tokyo, the most difficult university entrance exam. She entered a top-class preparatory school in Aichi Prefecture, and in her self-introduction to the class, she declared that she was aiming for a third-class science degree. She devoted all her time to studying, including during lunch breaks and after school, and she scored in the 10s on her first year high school test.
However, in his second year high school test, he scored in the 100s, and during a three-way interview, his teacher advised him to change his aspirations. It is said that the boy’s parents were not particular about studying in the third class of science, and were not what you would call an “educational parent.” However, the man could not accept that his future was different from what he had envisioned, and he began to consider suicide. He said he tried to put a knife to her stomach, but was unable to do so.
◆“I came from a high school with a high deviation score”
The man thought, “Let’s run away to a place where no one knows about me. If I go to Tokyo, I can do something.” In January 2022, the man bought a late-night bus ticket to Tokyo. After he bought it he realized that the arrival date was the day of the common test. He thought, “I will attack people indiscriminately as people gather for entrance exams, set fire to the Akamon Gate (of the University of Tokyo), and commit seppuku in front of Yasuda Auditorium, burdened with guilt.”
After arriving in Tokyo, we had a preview of the main gate and Akamon of the Faculty of Agriculture early in the morning. He then changed into a uniform to disguise himself as a student taking entrance exams, and carried out the crime with a knife in his inside pocket. According to a statement from a staff member who was present, the prosecutor said that after stabbing the three victims one after another, the man said, “I came from a high school with a high standard of standard, and yet I did this. I’m causing trouble to my parents.” “I hanged it,” he confessed to the staff. He threw away the knife and sat down at the scene. He asked the staff member if he had something to drink, and after drinking the tea he was given, he said, “I wanted to become a doctor overseas, but I ended up doing something like this.”
In their opening statement, the defense attorney appealed to the jury, saying, “He is not what you would call a delinquent. He devoted his entire life to studying. Please consider his immaturity.” Prosecutors argue that the defendant should be sentenced, arguing that in light of the seriousness and viciousness of the crime, it is socially unacceptable to choose protective measures.
2023-10-12 08:11:00
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