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The Saitama District Court has sentenced a 60-year-old man to 15 years in prison for killing the 46-year-old woman with whom he was in a relationship, in 2020.
Prosecutors had sought an 18-year prison term for Terumasa Watabe who was convicted of killing Manami Kumada at his apartment in Midori Ward, Saitama City, by strangling her with a belt on July 1, 2020, Kyodo News reported. Watabe and Kumada had been in a relationship at the time.
The next morning, Watabe went to Kumada's apartment in Manami Ward and attempted to kill Kumada's teenage daughter by strangling her. The girl was able to break free and ran to a neighbor's house for help. The neighbor called police who went to Watabe's apartment where they found Kumada's body.
Watabe went missing and was arrested on July 25.
© Japan Today
9 Comments
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Rodney
How can you love someone one day and kill them the next?
Stewart Gale
15 years for a murder and an attempted murder?
Another far too lenient sentence by a Japanese court, especially taking in to account the callous nature of the crimes.
Ken Holcomb
15 years for murder, no mention of the attempted murder.
This is NOT justice. It's the sign of a weak, mysogynistic prosecutorial system that is ruled but geriatric men.
A woman lost her life, and undoubtedly suffered domestic abuse prior to the murder, and a teenage girl lost her mother and is undoubtedly mentally damaged for life after nearly having it also ended violently.
Life in prison for this scumbag would have been the only appropriate punishment.
TokyoLiving
Just 15 years???..
Put those gallows to work !!!...
kochikame
I seems like a very short term for killing somebody...just 15 years?
Nohara
Wow, they are having such a hard time aren't they? Poor, poor, poor prosecutors; trying so hard to push for 18 years but all you can get is 15. I was being sarcastic. They are pathetic, all of them. Japan's justice system, the judge, the lawyers, politicians, prosecutors, everybody! I bet you'd easily get 20 years if you robbed Japan's government, 'cause all they care about is money.
falseflagsteve
He committed beastly crimes that are unforgivable in any circumstance. It’s possible he’s a clever. Hap who knew how to revive a lighter sentence. Cooperation with police, saying you are remorseful etc makes a lot of difference here.