Kyoto men accused of forcing disabled person into washing machine
On March 26 at around 2:30 p.m, the two suspects reportedly told their coworker, a 50-year-old man with an intellectual disability, “You stink! Get in the washing machine.”
Category: Crime
The Shog-A.I. Shimbun Podcast #35: Mental Health Claims Made in Two Recent Trials in Japan
Two recent court proceedings in Japan have involved claims about the accused’s mental health: an appeal of nurse with autism whom was found guilty of murdering three patients and the man charged with killing Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
Former Japanese Nurse with Autism Gets Indefinite Term in Appeal Trial
Tokyo High Court upheld a lower court ruling on Wednesday that sentenced a 37-year-old former nurse to an indefinite prison term for murdering three patients at a hospital in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, in 2016.
Presiding Judge Toru Miura, noting that the defendant, Ayumi Kuboki, had autistic spectrum disorder at the time, said, “The anxiety and fear she felt during nursing work were so great that she felt physically unwell.”
Psychiatric exam finds ex-Japan PM Abe shooter mentally fit
A psychiatric evaluation of the man accused of fatally shooting former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has determined him mentally fit to be held criminally responsible for his actions, sources close to the matter said Wednesday.
The defense for Tetsuya Yamagami did not contest the results of the evaluation, which had been conducted at the request of prosecutors, and effectively deferred a request for another evaluation, the sources said.
The Shog-A.I. Shimbun Podcast #30: Suspicious Death of Disabled Man After Dental Surgery and a Film about Forced Sterilization
The film, “Chinmoku no 50-Nen” (50 years of silence), depicts the lives of Takaji Kobayashi, 92, a hearing-impaired man from Akashi, Hyogo Prefecture, and his wife. The film uses interviews and dramatic reenactments to depict the suffering of people who were deprived of the right to bear and raise children.
According to the police, at around 2:00 p.m. on the 27th of this month, a 69-year-old man with intellectual disabilities who was staying at the Andante Kashima facility for the disabled in Yodogawa Ward, Osaka, lost consciousness while undergoing treatment for a cavity. The man was taken to the hospital, but died about an hour later.
Police investigation revealed that the cause of death was acute respiratory failure due to pressure on the chest and abdomen.
Nagano Murder Hearings Not in Sight 1 Year after Incident
Despite Saturday marking a full year since a fatal stabbing and shooting incident in Nagano Prefecture, central Japan, it remains uncertain when hearings will begin in the trial. According to his lawyer, Aoki has accepted visits but has shown little interest in most things, remaining silent about the incident, in which four people were killed. He is being held at a facility in Nagano, after he was indicted last November following three months of detention for psychiatric evaluation.
5 Years On, Japanese Man Remains Resolved to Eliminate Accidents
A Japanese man who lost his wife and daughter in a high-profile accident involving a runaway car driven by an elderly man five years ago says he hopes to “leverage (through dialogue) the victimizer’s experience to prevent traffic accidents.”
The bereaved man, Takuya Matsunaga, 37, is slated to hold a meeting shortly with the elderly man, Kozo Iizuka, 92, who is serving a prison term over the incident.
Ex-Police Chief Inspector Charged over Death in Custody of Man with Schizophrenia and Diabetes
A former chief inspector at the Aichi prefectural police received a summary indictment Wednesday over the death of a man in police custody in the central Japan prefecture.
The former chief inspector allegedly left the victim unattended while knowing that he was unable to eat or drink by himself and had difficulties communicating with others.
The police arrested the victim on suspicion of obstructing official duties and put him into the observation cell handcuffed and bound with rope after he acted violently at the police station. The victim had schizophrenia and diabetes.
Gunma Support Facility Operator for Children with Disabilities has Designation Revoked Over Fraudulent Claims
In Kiryu City, a business operator that operates a support facility for children with disabilities fraudulently lost over 2.5 million yen in benefits from the city and other organizations by pretending that the manager was working full-time. The prefecture’s designation was revoked as a result of an administrative penalty for receiving the benefits.
The prefecture will cancel the designation of this business operator on April 1st, meaning that the business operator will not be able to provide support for children with disabilities for five years thereafter.
Disabled woman forced to sell body sentenced for killing client
A mentally disabled woman who was forced into prostitution was given a six-year prison term for fatally stabbing an elderly client she was trying to steal from at a Tokyo love hotel.
The Tokyo District Court on Feb. 20 convicted Haruka Fujii, 26, of injury resulting in the death of the 82-year-old customer in Tokyo’s Ikebukuro district in 2022.
Prosecutors had sought a nine-year prison sentence, but the court took into account Fujii’s mental condition that made her vulnerable to exploitation and prone to involuntary criminal activity.
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