In the case of the murder of three people including a company president and a former gang member in Hyogo Prefecture between 2009 and 2011, the Supreme Court rejected the defendant's appeal, pointing out that "the consequences of taking the lives of three people are grave," and the death sentence was finalized.
Takashi Kamimura, 56, was charged with murder and manslaughter for killing the president of a company and two former gang members in Hyogo Prefecture between 2009 and 2011, as well as imprisoning another gang member to death.
The Himeji Branch of the Kobe District Court in the first trial sentenced him to death for "playing a central role as the perpetrator," and the Osaka High Court in the second trial made the same decision.
The man who was appointed as the supervisor in this case was acquitted of one murder and sentenced to life imprisonment, and the defendant appealed to the Supreme Court, arguing that it was unfair that the sentence was heavier than that of the supervising officer.
In his ruling on March 3, Akira Ojima, the presiding judge of the Second Small Chamber of the Supreme Court, pointed out that the crime was vicious and ruthless, such as locking the victim in a narrow cage installed in an apartment building and killing her with a handgun.
The court rejected the defendant's appeal and the death penalty was finalized, stating that "the consequences of taking the lives of the three people were grave, and although the mastermind of the incident was the man who directed the crime, the defendant played an indispensable role as a core figure in the perpetrator, and the death penalty was unavoidable."