crime

17-year-old boy stabs 14-year-old sister to death at home

66 Comments

A 17-year-old boy was arrested on Wednesday after he allegedly stabbed his 14-year-old sister to death at their home in Kurashiki, Okayama Prefecture.

According to police, emergency services personnel found the girl bleeding on the floor at her home after responding to a call at around 3:30 p.m. The girl's brother confessed to having stabbed her. The girl died a short time later in hospital and her brother was charged with murder. The boy, who cannot be named because he is a minor, was quoted by police as saying: "I did it because she was always making fun of me."

Police said the boy told them he attacked his sister with a kitchen knife while she was in the bathroom. The siblings' parents were both at work when the attack took place.

In a statement, the principal of the girl's junior high school said that she had attended school that day until 3 p.m. "She was a quiet and hardworking girl. I never received any reports of trouble at home," he said.

A neighbor said, "I'd never heard any rumors that the kids didn't get on. I thought they were a normal family."

© Compiled from news reports

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66 Comments
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No where near enough info to make a call on this. A terrible crime indeed but a 17 year old who stabbed his own sister must have some psychological problems. This sounds like a case of parents and teachers ignoring the signs. We dont even know what kind of stuff his sister said to him. Yes he is guilty but one article or two isnt enough to say such bitter things against him and Yes 17 is a minor in any country

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Klein2:

" Teenagers. It is a wonder any of them make it to age 24. Rationality is the exception, not the rule, for kids of that age. 17 yo boy and 14 yo girl? That's not a family, that's a tornado. "

We have all been teenagers. Some of us have teenage children. We all know about hormones and emotional ups and downs. We have all done/observed very stupid behaviour.But killing your sister is definitely way out of the range. There is no excuse for that. Come on.

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So so sad.

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I`m #6 of 8 children (3 girls, 5 boys), and none of us ever thought of killing each other (maybe I should check with my sibbs before posting so bold a remark!). Fight? Oh yes!!! This crime is a tradgedy and my heart aches for this Family. If I came home one day to learn that our eldest had killed our youngest, I think I would die of a heart-attack on the spot. Sickening.

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Fair enough Bogi, you have some good points. I for one admit to being in two minds about capital punishment, it's a nasty business and I would hate ever having to be on a jury to decide on it. My country - Aus - has not had the death penalty since 1966 and I can't say I would exactly rally in favour of it. But then again, if my 14 year-old sister was murdered I may think very differently and probably wouldnt care if the offender was a "minor" by a year or two...

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@BurakuminDes

More like you were attempting to belittle the opinions of other posters - one of whom is a lawyer - so probably is quite qualified to have an opinion on this issue.

At no point did I, or even attempt to, belittle anyone's opinions. Perhaps you should go back and read MY posts. Although I disagree, I thank you for your honest opinion and reasoning. As for the "laywer", american bengoshi I presume, he/she offered nothing to this discussion.

Try him for murder as an adult.

That's it? Seven enlightening words from all those years of law school to contribute to our discussion and make our society a better place? Perhaps you should listen more to those of us who care about this issue enough to offer more, and less to those with "titles" who throw out one-liners.

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I've done enough "research" already. I was interested to hear the opinions of those two posters

More like you were attempting to belittle the opinions of other posters - one of whom is a lawyer - so probably is quite qualified to have an opinion on this issue. You were suggesting "emotion" was the only basis for their opinion.

One poster suggested he should be tried as an adult. Your response:

Why? He is a minor

There you go.

My opinion? Well, I agree with the Japanese judges and legal system in applying justice for heinous crimes committed by minors on a case-by-case basis - as we have seen in another case with the 19 year old killer sentenced to death. I tend to agree with other posters that this killer too should be tried in the same manner - but let's see what the judges decide.

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BurakuminDes

I think you have the hilarious impression that all crimes committed as a minor will not be tried as an adult! I don't think americanbengoshi - among many other posters - have based their repsonses on "emotion". With the utmost of respect, I suggest a little research would not go astray.

No, I don't have that impression. I beleive that there were reasons why most nations established legal systems that punish minors and adults in different ways. I am still not convinced that the severity of the crime should determine which one of those two categories the accused should fall into. If 20 years old is no longer applicable for Japan, then it should be changed - not determined on a case-by-case basis.

I've done enough "research" already. I was interested to hear the opinions of those two posters. If you care to chime in - fine. But if you do so, I'd like to hear YOUR opinion on the issue supported by YOUR reasoning. Don't try to educate me by suggesting I do "research."

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I thought they were a normal family.

This 17-year-old boy is SICK, period!

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And when he does get out in less than 5 years....how could his parents ever look at him again without the thought bubbling in the back of their mind that he killed their daughter/his sister?????

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@miamum and Boratlikebarry: You are absolutely right. Japan is deep into an epidemic of mental health problems which will go untreated because of cultural biases. Suicide, karoshi, child abuse, random aggression and murder are directly caused by Japanese culture, and may well be considered a part of Japanese culture. In a way, yes, this is normal Japanese behavior, and both the murderer and the murdered are victims.

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Nobody has said it, but it is the gorilla in the room: hormones.

Incredibly powerful drugs moving through every kid's body. They are supposed to get humans to procreate, but that message gets screwed up in every way imaginable.

Teenagers. It is a wonder any of them make it to age 24. Rationality is the exception, not the rule, for kids of that age. 17 yo boy and 14 yo girl? That's not a family, that's a tornado.

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If I were the father I'd rip his heart out for doing that to mine.

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He should never have hurt his sister, should never have killed her, but to me, this is just so very sad.. his life is sad, and I feel sorry for him and his parents who have lost their girl and it was their son who killed her...

I feel no sorrow for him. He made the choice to murder his sister. He knew it was wrong, knew it, but acted anyway. No, I feel no pity for him, only for his parents who lost 2 children in 1 day. All because one of them made a choice for which he deserves a noose. Though he won't get it.

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Rest in Peace to the poor child - and may the killer be brought to justice and never be released.

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Why? He is a minor. If a 23 year-old commits what YOU consider to be a "childish" offense, can that person be tried as a minor? I'm fascinated to hear what you base your expert legal opinions on? Emotion, I suspect.

Umm - Bogi - have you ever had even a passing glance at how the Japanese - and other nations - deal with serious crimes, such as murder, committed by "minors"? I think you have the hilarious impression that all crimes committed as a minor will not be tried as an adult! I don't think americanbengoshi - among many other posters - have based their repsonses on "emotion". With the utmost of respect, I suggest a little research would not go astray.

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This is normal in japan

riiiight .... because something similar happened to you, it's "normal" Japanese behaviour.

Siblings make fun of each other. It's what they do best. It seems that this boy just didn't know how to handle his emotions and actions. Anyone with sisters and brothers knows that no one can push your buttons like your own kin. I'm not suggesting in any way that this is the sister's fault at all, I'm just saying that it's normal for brothers and sisters to fight. What ISN'T normal is going after your sister/brother with a knife.

I have to agree with Fishy on this one. It just seems that the boy is having some mental problems and definitely needs help and understanding, not the short end of the rope. It's just too bad that he didn't get it before he did something that will haunt him for the rest of his life.

RIP little sis. Brothers are supposed to protect their sisters, not take them out.

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This is normal in japan.The truth is brother tried to make fun with her. Everybody should know what is fun means.Because of the rejection of his sister he had to kill his innocent sister to avoid troubles what he had to face from his parents.My wife who has already seperated from me about five years ago, shared with me the same story what she had to face during her same age from her one and only brother.During that time her both parents were at work.Her brother was 17yrs old and my wife was 13yrs old. But she escaped from her brother and didn't tell tell this to anyone. Since then she was careful with her brother. Parents don't leave your daughters with your sons.

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He'll be out in 5 years with a new name and go on with life like nothing ever happened. Until the next time...

EbiChiri, your comment would be quite spooky with the Twilight Zone theme as BGM.

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american_bengoshi, namabiru4me

Try him for murder as an adult.

Pathetic. He should be tried as an adult and put away.

Why? He is a minor. If a 23 year-old commits what YOU consider to be a "childish" offense, can that person be tried as a minor?

I'm fascinated to hear what you base your expert legal opinions on? Emotion, I suspect.

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I thought they were a normal family.

and what is that, pray tell

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Home bullying by a younger sister and the guy takes a knife to her? Terminate that genetic line.

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@BoratLike Barry - I think there is a LOT pf pent-up frustration among Japanese with very little outlet for it because of the "gaman" culture.

What I always notice with cases like these and others is that, if this happened where I come from, it would be on the news and on chat shows for weeks, the government would be ordering an independant investigation, people in general would be shocked, horrified and questioning why a 17 year old would just "flip out" like that. But in Japan, it barely gets a mention in the news, most Japanese I speak to have never even heard of it, or saw a tiny article buried in the paper, everyone moves on, and nothing ever changes.

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I'm not at all saying all Japanese people are crazy - categorically not, but you cannot deny that you hear quite a lot of these cases in Japan where somebody just flips out and attacks somebody.

I lived in the UK for over 20 years, and whenever you hear about stabbings, shootings, etc on the news, it tends to be gang, racial or drug related. That's just the general trend. In Japan when you hear about these cases, you hear a lot of justifications from the criminal where they say "I got angry", "I flipped out", "I just wanted to hurt somebody", etc.

I'm not trying to turn this into a "racial issue" as somebody mentioned - there just seem to be a lot of cases like this in Japan.

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It is too bad he killed her, it isn't something that be forgotten easily.

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He'll be out in 5 years with a new name and go on with life like nothing ever happened. Until the next time...

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Thanks fishy. Finally someone who manages to say something humane and balanced here!

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Thanks for the extra info, fishy. That actually sheds quite a bit of light on the story. I really think they should increase the required attendance at schools - so many kids seems to stay home half the year! But that is veering off-topic. This type of incident, in which a young person shows no recognition of the value of human life, seems to be on the rise worldwide. They don't seem aware of the consequences of killing someone, or maybe they just don't understand that death is permanent. It always seems to be for a stupid reason, too.

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In the bathroom? Probably a sis-con issue....

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I'd like to add some facts to help people here a bit... This brother, for some reason, was living with the family's relatives for awhile and returned home only a few days prior to the incident. The brother had been bullied in school since when he was in elementary school and he was usually staying in other than going to school. The brother told the police that the sister made fun of his personality.

I guess if the sister just made fun of him about something else, he might not have gotten so angry, but maybe because of how he has been for many years (no close friends, bullied and staying in..), being made fun of his personality was something he couldn't put up with especially that it came from his own sister who was doing well in school and had friends.

He should never have hurt his sister, should never have killed her, but to me, this is just so very sad.. his life is sad, and I feel sorry for him and his parents who have lost their girl and it was their son who killed her...

I hope that the parents will try and understand what the boy has been through, and even though it should be extremely difficult to forgive what he has done, I hope they will do whatever to make him a better person because he is alive and he has future... the parents should hate what the boy has done but should never hate him even though it was him who killed their daughter... VERY tough for the parents, but hope they will be strong for the boy.. he needs them.

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What ever happened to just punching each other?

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Monkeyz at 02:36 PM JST - 25th November Maybe she did make fun of him. That's always possible. But then thinking about my own experience I wonder if she just said something innocuous or even only mildly stinging. Male egos, older brother egos, and Japanese male egos all rolled together ... very, very fragile ...

I don't think it matters what she said, my siblings and I said some REALLY horrible things to each other over the years, and we still love each other... admittedly we love each other more when we're on different continents, but still.

I think a certain degree of fighting between siblings is normal and healthy. My sister was a master at biting retorts, but the worst that ever happened was when I mixed her hair removal into her shampoo (... and was grounded for 6 months while her hair recovered).

No matter what his sister did this boy's reaction wasn't deserved or normal. Honestly I don't know how his parents will every recover from this, and the state might do them a favour by putting him away for a VERY long time, then his parents don't have to make the choice about whether to welcome him back into the home and forgive him for killing his sister, or kick him out and worry about what's happening to him.

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Kids will be kids.

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When I was a kid, my brother was sort of similar. (Obviously, he never killed me.) He was very sensitive and would fly into a rage and attack, or he would whine to my mom in order to get his way about something.

The thing was, and the reason I take the "she made fun of me" with a grain of salt, most of it was in my brother's head. Sometimes I didn't need to say anything or with any particular inflection. Just my being there was bothersome for him, and the simplest request ("Could you put the cat out?") was interpreted as bossing. Talking about my own accomplishments ("I got an A on this test!" was seen as bragging and therefore belittling him. And all were grounds for punishment. He was just that sensitive.

Maybe she did make fun of him. That's always possible. But then thinking about my own experience I wonder if she just said something innocuous or even only mildly stinging. Male egos, older brother egos, and Japanese male egos all rolled together ... very, very fragile ...

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And how sad for the parents. They lost 2 children in 1 day.

you are absolutely right. what a sad story all around...

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Me thinks something more salacious was going on.

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What a stupid 17 old dork! Killing his little sister? I hope he burns in hell! His little sister must have really had pain, RIP and I wish I could get my hands around the neck of this 17 little bastard!

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Brother: "she was always making fun of me"

Principal: "She was a quiet and hardworking girl"

Someone's lying. Well, no, it could be that in school the girl was quiet and hardworking, and at home she teased her brother mercilessly. Which might have deserved some punishment, but not death. The boy has just ruined his life.

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Pathetic. He should be tried as an adult and put away.

And how sad for the parents. They lost 2 children in 1 day.

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I can never understand why people try to make stories such as this a racial thing. These types of tragedies happen all over the world and even in Japan is an isolated case. There is no "trend", the vast majority of Japanese do not act this way, and Japanese justice is known for being overly strict so it is more likely he would be let out in two years in a western country.

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Death sentence. He's as adult as he's ever gonna be.

At 17 I knew full well what I was doing. I chose not to kill the people who bothered me.

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Some japanese kids really need a cold bloody hard spank on their head. Unacceptable conscience and rationale reasoning over the murder.

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NO!!! more horrible news. Poor little girl.

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Very sad news...

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Molenir...or what I would do..deform the teens hands (use ur imagination) so he wont be able to commit a similar crime in the future when he is released.

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How sad. The boy will definitely regret doing this.

Domestic violence is a tough issue in Japan because of the limited outside intervention; and for this reason, domestic violence is probably a bigger issue than crime on the streets in Japan.

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“I’d never heard any rumors that the kids didn’t get on. I thought they were a normal family.”

This is the globally heard quote given by neighbors in every one of these cases. What that means is: You don't really know anybody.

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Growing up in my era when my lil sis ridiculed me she got a weak backhand across the head. The trend here lately is to permanently eliminate the source of ridicule.

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The boy obviously is not able to deal with anger real well. So he acts out. I think he needs psychiatric help more than jail.

Heres the thing. If he spends the rest of his life in a hole, society will never again be harmed by him. On the other hand if he gets what I think we all expect from Japanese justice, he'll spend a year or 2 in jail, and get out, with a clear record at 20. He will the in all likelihood, murder his girlfriend 10 years from now, when she says she wants to break up.

What the kid needs, is either a noose, or a hole in the ground where he can rot for the rest of his days.

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I know he is technically a minor, but 17 years old is pretty much considered adult age in Europe - "she was making fun of me" - absolutely pathetic.

There are messed up crimes like this all over the world, but there are seemingly vast differences in the mindset of a 17 year old Japanese guy and (for example) a 17 year old English guy. Parents are to blame for this, as is the education system for their complete inability to educate children into responsible adults.

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@nimbus

I have to agree with you there. If you can't handle your little sister's "abuse", you already need help. Hopefully he will learn how to deal in prison.

What disturbs me the most is that the kid attacked her in the bathroom. He couldn't even wait for her to finish her business?

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Well, in a society where speaking out is not the norm, there is more of this (yes, a blanket statement, but individuality is an important concept that is lost here once Jr. HS is entered).

The boy obviously is not able to deal with anger real well. So he acts out. I think he needs psychiatric help more than jail.

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If he couldn't deal with teasing by his own little sister, how the heck could he survive in the real world. Pathetic individual.

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Japanese sisters don't tease your brothers! They haven't the strength to cope with it! Small wonder Japanese kids resort to suicide when their bullied, weak kids, feeble minded people. Who at sometime during their childhood / adolescence was not the subject of either direct bullying or teasing? Parents must see this and totally choose to ignore it, and so they should if they have brought their kids up correctly. Imagine killing your own sister as a youth, shudder! How the xx could you live with that? Lock him up? The damage is already done!

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A sudden act of rage? Possibly. But perhaps this teenage boy had been violent before or showed signs of mental illness but didn't receive any help. Can't imagine what the parents must be going through...

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How about people just start growing a backbone and not get so offensive when called names.

The boy, who cannot be named because he is a minor, was quoted by police as saying: “I did it because she was always making fun of me.”

And I guess she was poking out her tongue and rolling her eyes and you didn't like that either. Geez people grow up.

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Go to jail. Do not pass Go or collect $200.

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It reminds of a movie "Sin". The parents cannot explain these childrens or to busy to ignore small quarrel and this big Moron has no sense but to kill his sister. Bst

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The Japanese male ego is a very fragile thing...

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What a sick kid.

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Try him for murder as an adult.

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He probably was severely sleep deprived which caused his mental break.

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And here we go. Just the other day this was brought up in 15 year old's suicide, where she claimed bullying. Bullying is indeed a rampant problem, and far worse is the parents/teachers/society that look away. However, probably the BIGGEST problem is how lightly people seem to take the gift of life in many cases. So the girl was made fun of by classmates and no one would play with her or called her 'gross'; it's no reason to off yourself. Likewise you have this 17 year old punk being teased by a sibling -- and show me a family where this DOESN'T happen! -- and he decides it's ample reason to kill her.

This society is sick.

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Sounds like rage. Maybe a lot of other problems in his life and then finally snaps when sis starts ragging on him.

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I put part of the blame on the parents of this child because it is their responsibility to correct a problem at home as it arrises. As for this 17 year old, he should have know better than to do a foolish thing like that. He should be put into a psycho therapy class for at least 6 months and serve a 3 to 4 year jail term for his actions.

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The moral of the story is "don't make of people"? but still whata crazy psycho to stabb someone to death especially your sibling. Sad.

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