Real Names Can Now Be Reported…The Horrific Details of “Juvenile Cases” Being Questioned
Nonfiction writer Kota Ishii delves into the depths of Japanese society!
Last April On April 25th On April 25, his lawyer held a press conference to explain his involvement in the murder of 19 The lawyer demanded that the real name of the 19-year-old man involved in the murder in question be withheld from the press.
The lawyer reportedly stated the following.
‘It was another person who approached me with the case and was in a most subordinate position. The consequences are serious, but he comes from a small community, and if his name were reported, his family would not be able to live there.”
With the change in the law, effective April 1 of this year, the previously treated minor 18 , the 19 Under the revised law, 18- and 19-year-olds, who were previously treated as minors, are now defined as “specified juveniles,” and their real names can be reported once they have been prosecuted. What used to be anonymous, such as “Juvenile A,” is now reported under an individual’s name, such as “Yamada XX.
The case in which the lawyer was in charge occurred in Neyagawa City, Osaka Prefecture, in March of this year. Late at night, a group of four A man and a woman, both around 20 years old, went to a vocational school to attend a school. A man and a woman, both around 20 years of age, were raped by a male student at a vocational school ( 20 The crime was extremely brutal. The crime was extremely brutal. First, one of them sprayed the student with a hypnotic spray in his face, then repeatedly beat him with a special baton that the others had prepared, and stabbed him in the back with a knife. They then stabbed the student in the back with a knife. 13 The suspect then took the student’s bag containing 130,000 yen in cash and fled in a car.
Repeatedly sprayed with tear gas
The incident was premeditated for money. The stabbed male student later died. The four assailants were arrested by the police.
The Osaka District Public Prosecutors Office charged two of the four adults with robbery and murder. The remaining 19 and 18-year-old males were sent to the family court. year old males, respectively, were sent to the family court. However, the family court made the following decision against them.
The assault was extremely dangerous and malicious, as it involved repeatedly spraying them with tear gas and beating them repeatedly with a special baton.
The case was sent back to the Osaka District Public Prosecutors Office. In other words, because of the malignant nature of the crime, the case was not sent to the family court, but to the district court for trial as a criminal case, just like any other adult case.
It was to protect the perpetrators and their families that the lawyer at the beginning of this article appealed to refrain from reporting their real names. The reasons given were that his position was “subordinate” among the group of perpetrators and that “his family would not be able to live [in his hometown].
In fact, despite the fact that the law was revised on April 1, few cases have been reported with their real names. In addition to these boys, in Niigata Prefecture A 19 In addition to these boys, a 19-year-old man has been charged with manslaughter for dangerous driving in Niigata Prefecture, but his real name has not been reported.
Whether or not to give his name depends largely on the decision of the prosecutors. Even if the boy is prosecuted, his name may be hidden as in the past, if it is deemed that disclosure of his real name could hinder the rehabilitation of the perpetrator. In other words, being indicted as a specified juvenile does not necessarily mean that one’s actual name will be revealed.
So, how far does one have to go to have his or her real name made public?
The first case of publication of a juvenile’s real name following the amendment of the law is the case of The first case in which real names were made public in response to the amendment of the law was the “Kofu Couple’s Fire” in 1949. The first case in which real names were made public following the amendment of the law was the case of the perpetrator of the “Kofu Married Couple Arson Murder Case” in 19 This was another horrific case. This was another horrific case.
The male assailant had developed a one-sided romantic interest in Boko, a junior in high school. He tried to attract her attention by giving her jewelry as gifts. However, B-ko did not respond and refused his offer of a relationship. She then blocked him from her social networking sites because she was being stalked by a man who was following her around.
Not only romantic partners but also family members
Under these circumstances, the man’s hatred toward Child B gradually grew. Eventually, he begins to think of killing not only Child B, but also her family members.
The incident took place in October Oct. The incident occurred in the early morning of October 12. The incident occurred in the early morning of October 12. The man went to Child B’s house with a knife and other weapons and first attacked his father and mother with a machete and fruit knife. The couple died of dozens of stab wounds. Next, the man attacked B’s sister, who was at home, inflicting wounds to her head. To destroy evidence, he then set fire to the house with lighter oil, burning down the wooden house.
After his arrest, the man said that he had intended to kill his entire family and abduct Child B. For the surviving child B, this was an extremely unreasonable incident, and it is clear that she will suffer indescribable pain for the rest of her life.
In March of this year, the family court decided to remand the man back to court for criminal action, stating that the case was “premeditated, extremely cruel, and the consequences are grave. At this time, the prosecutors decided that he deserved to have his real name published and announced his name as “Hiroki Endo.
However, not all media outlets reported his real name. Among Tokyo-based media outlets, the Tokyo Shimbun and others reported the case anonymously. The Tokyo Shimbun maintained in principle its position prior to the revision of the law, stating that it would
“We will consider reporting cases with real names on an exceptional basis in cases where the impact on society is particularly serious, and we will carefully judge the seriousness of the case and its social impact.”
In other words, they decided that whether or not to use real names would depend on the details of the case. Conversely, this case is not worthy of such a decision.
Continue to ” [Part 2] Heinous Juvenile Crimes: The Shivering Details
Interview and text: Kota Ishii
Born in Tokyo in 1977. Nonfiction writer. Graduated from Nihon University College of Art. He has reported and written about culture, history, and medicine in Japan and abroad. His books include "Kichiku" no Ie - Wagakko wo Kajiru Oyasato Tachi" ("The House of 'Demons' - Parents Who Kill Their Children"), "43 Kichiku no Kyoi: In Depth in the Case of the Murder of a Student at Kawasaki Junior High School 1," "Rental Child," "Kinshin Homicide," and "Kakusa to Segregation no Shakai Chizu" ("Social Map of Disparity and Division").
Photo: Shinji Hasuo Kyodo News