Tokyo stabbing suspect sentenced to 19 years in prison

Japanese medical staff transfer an injured person in a knife attack on a train in Setagaya ward, Tokyo on August 6, 2021 (file photo)

Yusuke Tsushima, 37, pleaded guilty to the attempted murder of the three victims. The court ruled that Yusuke Tsushima "unprovokedly attacked each passenger one by one with a strong intention to kill".

At trial, prosecutors asked for a 20-year prison sentence for the defendant. However, the defense team asked for a reduced sentence of 15 years, arguing that the intent to kill was not strong enough.

According to the verdict, the stabbing incident occurred on August 6, 2021, on an Odakyu Line train. At that time, Yusuke Tsushima stabbed a 20-year-old university student in the chest and back, seriously injuring him. The knife attack also injured a woman in her 50s and a man in his 30s. In addition, the indictment said that the suspect was also accused of stealing from several stores in Tokyo and Kawasaki City before carrying out the stabbing.

During his trial, Tsushima confessed that he had long wanted to commit random mass murders and wanted to kill women he considered "successful" in life.

According to VNA