Ex-policeman pleads guilty to shooting sergeant in 'koban,' citing mental stress

that's a BS defense if there ever was one if stressed mitigated crimes then everybody would get the same treatment because most people would be under stress while they're killing somebody

I had to read that again, a MINOR, can't even have a drink or get married without parental/guardian permission, is a "graduate" of the police academy and is a working beat/koban cop?

Psychological issues? I think the people who put him there have a few that need to be dealt with!

No excuse for killing his superior, but really now? He shouldn't have been in that position in the first place!

Why is a teenager a police officer and has a gun?

Countering the defense lawyers' argument of diminished capacity, prosecutors said the former policeman should be held criminally responsible as he has clear memories of the crime and no history of mental illness.

Even if the guy HAD a history of mental illness there is no way you can admit to it, as it would call into question why he was hired to be a policeman in the first place. Not to mention his being allowed to enter the police academy too!

I think this fellow’s mental problems started long before he became a cop.

to reiterate what Yubaru said, a 20 year old that graduated from police academy, is issued a firearm and had (hopefully) passed psychological tests before being admitted for training, cites mental stress for shooting his NCO? Isn't he a bit too young don't you think? In the 20-yr old's defense, I think that mental stress is more on the lines of either being profusely bullied by his senpai(s) to which he broke and/ or the screening process for the police force was not thorough enough to identify any cracks in his persona. Some people can only be strong and hold their tatemae for so long before they crack from all the stress (and possible bullying and other cr@p) they face on a daily basis.

 a 20 year old that graduated from police academy, is issued a firearm and had (hopefully) passed psychological tests before being admitted for training, cites mental stress for shooting his NCO? Isn't he a bit too young don't you think? In the 20-yr old's defense,

Consider this, and please read the end of the article again, he was a teenager when this happened. That even makes it worse as he was not old enough to even purchase a weapon here, let alone be a cop and use one!

He wasn't even legally an adult, how did he become a police officer?

A 20-year-old former policeman pleaded guilty Wednesday to fatally shooting his boss

The defendant, whose name has been withheld because he was a minor at the time 

Old enough to carry a gun, but still seen as a minor (child). Astonishing!

Imoto was in charge of training the teenager, who graduated from police school in January last year and was posted to the police box about two weeks before the incident.

Prosecutors said the former policeman had become angry and frustrated with his work, which piled up as Imoto repeatedly directed him to correct documents the teenager had written.

Hmmm...... The kid was two weeks into the job.

As far as I can tell, either Imoto was a bad instructor, the THEN 19 year old was completely useless and never had a responsibility or job in his life, the Police Academy teaches NOTHING practical, or perhaps a little bit of all three?

But the accused's lawyers argued he was struggling with adjustment disorder due to psychological stress and his "capacity to judge between right and wrong and to control his behavior had been reduced prior to firing the handgun."

Wow! If you can't judge between right and wrong, you're definitely in the wrong profession. But then again, since this is Japan and the police force have nothing better to do but fill out paper reports and hassle bike riders, so maybe he was actually in the right profession.

Why is a teenager a police officer and has a gun?

Because he graduated high school at 18 and Police Academy is only 1 year. Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, and Airmen are as young as 18 and handle weapons that would make a police revolver look like a water pistol. Not all teenagers are as immature as you think.

Old enough to carry a gun, but still seen as a minor (child). Astonishing!

I know many US servicemen who were punished for drinking underage (21). Old enough to kill but not old enough to drink away the stress of killing. Perhaps there should be a unified standard of what age you can drink, handle a gun, drive, vote, serve in the police or military, etc....

Encapsulates a number of problems with Japanese workplace and absurdities in the Japanese legal and law enforcement systems.

Lord help us if we have teen age police running around!! What the hell are they thinking training someone underage for police work. This is in Shiga people. What kind of stressful things could be happening down there? Now that I think about it, I guess since there is not much action, they figure they can start early before the kids become adults. Poor kid. Watching too much anime and thinking about killing by shooting in the back of the head. If he shot any criminal that would be much better but one of your own.... not good at all. He will rot in a prison cell for a long time.