Finally Executed! Tomohiro Kato’s Grandmother Speaks of His Unusual Upbringing

[Joon] When he was a little boy, he was a good, frank boy. But his parents were strict. When Tomo was smiling, his father would yell at him, ‘Don’t make a tight face! He would yell at him. I would look at him from afar and think, ‘Why are you so angry?’ Sometimes I wondered why he was so angry.”

At the time of the incident, the grandmother of Tomohiro Kato, 39, told this to this magazine. Tomo refers to Kato.

On July 26, Kato, who was imprisoned for the murder of seven people, was executed. The incident occurred in June 2008. After the incident, it became clear that Kato’s upbringing was very difficult.

At the time of the incident, the uniqueness of Kato’s family came under close scrutiny. His parents were unusually strict about discipline, and the only TV programs that Kato could watch were “Doraemon” and “Once Upon a Time in Japan.” He was even submerged in the bathtub if he failed to study.

(A reporter for a national newspaper) “At the time, my grandmother told this magazine, ‘My grandmother was more devoted to education, especially my mother.’

Her mother was especially devoted to his education, always scolding Tomo, saying, ‘You don’t have to do club activities, you should study.’

Kato was forbidden to invite friends over to his house since he was a child. This “interference” extended to his relationships with women as well. Immediately after the incident, this magazine obtained the following testimony from a classmate of Kato’s. “I don’t know how long they were together.”

I don’t know how long they were together, but Kato had a rather cute girlfriend. But his mother told him to stop dating, and he broke up with her in tears.

Kato was a student at one of the best local schools, but while most of his classmates went on to four-year universities, he went to a junior college. After that, he moved from job to job, working part-time or as a temporary worker. He then began to frequent Internet message boards and developed a hatred of society.

There are some extenuating circumstances regarding his family environment. However, considering the magnitude and vileness of his crime, there is no room for sympathy.

“Those who died were of different genders and ages, including a college student, an office worker, a cook, and a former doctor.” Some family members refused to accept a letter of apology from death row inmate Kato. Some of those who were seriously injured are still suffering from aftereffects, although they survived.

(The above-mentioned reporter) Kato’s grandmother also said at the time, “I have never done anything so outrageous.”

After doing such a terrible thing, I have no choice but to atone for it with my life.

Fourteen years later, that is exactly what happened. However, it is not clear whether the victims and their families will ever recover from the emotional and physical trauma.