Police officers are conducting an investigation at the crime scene in Bunkyo Ward, Tokyo, on January 15, 2022.
The first trial of a 19-year-old man charged with attempted murder and obstructing business by force in connection with a stabbing incident took place on January 12th in the Tokyo District Court. The incident occurred last year in front of the University of Tokyo in Bunkyo Ward, Tokyo, where three people, including students taking the Common University Entrance Test, were stabbed. During the trial, the man’s background and the circumstances leading to the crime were revealed (Kanako Kodera).
In his opening statement, the man expressed remorse for the harm caused to the three individuals involved. Wearing a dark blue suit, he admitted to the charges and spoke clearly in court. The man is accused of stabbing and injuring a male and female high school student, as well as a man in his 70s who happened to be passing by, using a kitchen knife. Additionally, he started a fire at Todaimae Station on the Tokyo Metro.
According to the defense’s opening statement, the accused was initially an ordinary and diligent student during his elementary school days, engaging in club activities and playing after school. However, during his second year of junior high school, the man became inspired by a documentary about Hideto Yoshioka, a doctor who provides free medical aid in developing countries. This led him to aspire to become a doctor himself. He studied rigorously, and by his third year of junior high school, he ranked within the top ten students in his grade. The man’s parents were unable to give him sufficient attention, and this motivated him to strive for independence, believing he should not burden them.
Facing his first setback when he failed his first choice in the high school entrance exam, the man resolved to enter the third science category at the University of Tokyo, known for its challenging entrance requirements. To achieve this, he attended a prestigious preparatory school in Aichi Prefecture. During his introduction to the class, he declared his aim to pursue a third-class science degree. He dedicated his time to studying, often sacrificing lunch breaks and after-school time. In his first year of high school, he achieved impressive scores in the tens range.
However, during his second high school test, his scores dropped to the hundreds range. During a three-way interview, one of his teachers advised him to reconsider his aspirations. While his parents did not specifically push for him to pursue the third-class science category, the man refused to accept a future different from what he had envisioned. This led him to contemplate suicide, expressing an unsuccessful attempt to harm himself with a knife.
Seeking an escape where he would be anonymous, the man decided to run away to Tokyo, believing he could start anew. Coincidentally, he purchased a late-night bus ticket to Tokyo, only to realize that the date of arrival coincided with the common test day. Filled with guilt, he planned to attack people indiscriminately as they gathered for the entrance exams, set fire to the Akamon gate at the University of Tokyo, and ultimately commit seppuku in front of the Yasuda Auditorium.
Upon arriving in Tokyo, the man scouted the main gate and Akamon of the Faculty of Agriculture early in the morning. He then disguised himself as a student preparing to take the entrance exams by donning a uniform and concealing a knife in his pocket. According to a staff member’s statement, after stabbing the three victims consecutively, the man confessed, expressing regret for causing trouble to his parents, saying, “I came from a high school with high standards, but I ended up doing something like this.” He surrendered the knife, sat down, and requested something to drink. After consuming the tea he was given, he lamented, “I wanted to be a doctor abroad, but I ended up doing something like this.”
During their opening statement, the defense attorney appealed to the jurors, arguing that the accused should not be treated as a criminal but rather considered immature due to his devotion to his studies. However, considering the severity and brutality of the crime, the prosecution maintained that protective measures would be socially unacceptable, advocating for a sentence to be imposed.
Police officers investigate 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 obstructing business by force in connection with the stabbing of three people, including students taking the Common University Entrance Test, on the street in front of the University of Tokyo 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 in the Tokyo District Court (presiding judge Yoshihisa Nakao). During the opening statement, the man’s background and the circumstances that led to the crime were revealed. (Kanako Kodera)
◆“I want to be a doctor” in the second year of junior high school
“I am very sorry for causing hurt to the hearts and bodies of these three people.”First trial in the Tokyo District Court. In his speech, the man, who appeared in court in a dark blue suit, admitted the charges and spoke in clear tones.
It is said that the man stabbed and injured a man and a 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 started a fire at Todaimae Station on the Tokyo Metro.
According to the defense’s opening statement, the man was a normal, serious kid who played after school and participated in club activities during his elementary school days. When he was in his second year of junior high school, he saw a documentary about Hideto Yoshioka, a doctor who provides free medical aid in developing countries, and decided he wanted to be a doctor. As he studied hard, his grades improved, and in his third year of junior high school, he was ranked in the single digits in his grade. “If you work hard, results will come,” he said confidently.
The man was the eldest son and had younger brothers and sisters, and the lawyer drew attention to the fact that his parents “were not able to pay attention to him.” “I shouldn’t be a burden on my parents. I need to be independent,” she said, and began to work even harder on her studies.
◆Declare “Science III” in class
Meanwhile, in the high school entrance exam, he failed his first choice and experienced his first setback. To overcome the difficulty, he decided to enter the third science category at the University of Tokyo, the most difficult university entrance exam. He went to a top-class prep school in Aichi Prefecture, and in his self-introduction to the class, he declared that he was aiming for a third-class science degree. He devoted all his time to studying, including lunchtime and after school, and scored in the 10s on the test in his first year of high school.
However, in his second 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 did not specifically want to study in the third class of science, and were not what you would call “educational parents.” However, the man could not accept that his future was different from what he had predicted, and he began to consider suicide. He said he tried to put a knife into 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 purchase, I realized that the date of arrival was the day of the common test. “As people gathered for entrance exams, I attacked people indiscriminately, set fire to the Akamon (University of Tokyo) gate, and, overcome with guilt, decided to commit seppuku in front of the Yasuda Auditorium.”
After arriving in Tokyo, I previewed 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 committed the crime with a knife in his inside pocket. According to the statement of a member of staff who was present, the prosecutor said that after stabbing the three victims one after the other, the man said, “I came from a high school with a high standard, but I to something like this. I caused trouble for my parents.” “I hung it up,” he admitted to the staff. He threw down the knife and sat down on the spot. He asked a member of staff if he had something to drink, and after drinking the tea he was given, he said, “I wanted to be a doctor abroad, but I ended up doing something like this.”
In their opening statement, the defense attorney appealed to the jury, saying, “This is not what you would call a criminal. He devoted his whole life to study. Consider his immaturity.” argued that the defendant should be sentenced, arguing that, in light of the seriousness and viciousness of the crime, it was socially unacceptable to opt for protective measures.
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