Former Japanese Diplomat Who Killed Reclusive ‘Violent’ Son Gets 6 Years in Jail

Former Japanese Diplomat Who Killed Reclusive ‘Violent’ Son Gets 6 Years in Jail
Ryan General
December 17, 2019
A former top official in Japan was recently sentenced to six years in prison for killing his 44-year-old son, allegedly out of fear that he might cause danger to the public.
Hideaki Kumazawa, a 76-year-old retired agricultural vice minister and former envoy to the Czech Republic, reportedly stabbed his own son to death back in June before calling the police and surrendering himself to be arrested.
Based on the police reports, Kumazawa admitted to stabbing his son in the neck and chest at their home in Tokyo because he thought his son “might harm others.”
Kumazawa had recently learned about an unconnected stabbing incident that caused the death of two people and injuries of 17 others. Kumazawa, who pleaded guilty to the crime during the trial, was sentenced on Monday, Kyodo News reports.
“I think it is my duty to pay for the crime and pray that my son can spend a peaceful time in the afterlife,” Kumazawa was quoted as saying.
Prosecutors were reportedly seeking an eight-year prison term, while Kumazawa’s lawyers attempted a suspended term. They argued that the son’s threat warranted Kumazawa to act in self-defense.
It was established that the son’s developmental disorder caused him to be routinely violent against his mother. Due to his behavior, the son was forced out of his parents’ house and ended up living alone in an apartment. However, he made his return to his parents’ home about a week before the killing.
The Tokyo District Court, under Judge Tomoyuki Nakayama, acknowledged that the son actually resumed his violence as soon as he returned home and even made a threat to kill his father.
The court also noted that Kumazawa inflicted over 30 stab wounds on his son. Some of the cuts were very deep that they resulted in massive blood loss.
It was pointed out during the trial that the type of wounds the son received indicated that the killing was not entirely self-defense. It further acknowledged that Kumazawa acted in fear that his son might harm other people.
Feature Image via International Press
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