crime

Sasebo girl says she wanted to see what it was like to kill someone

110 Comments

A 16-year-old high school girl who was arrested Sunday for the grisly murder of her 15-year-old classmate in Sasebo, Nagasaki Prefecture, told police on Monday that she wanted to see what it was like to kill someone.

The suspect was sent to prosecutors as police, educators and psychologists tried to determine her motive for killing Aiwa Matsuo.

Officials at the school that the two girls attended expressed shock Monday and said there was no indication of any trouble between the two, Sankei Shimbun reported.

Police said the suspect told them that she and Matsuo went shopping on Saturday afternoon and when they returned to her apartment, she killed her. Police said the girl admitted striking Matsuo on the back of the head at least 10 times with a hammer. She then strangled her with a cord, before hacking her head off with a saw. Matsuo's left hand was also severed, police said.

After Matsuo failed to return home on Saturday night, her parents called police who came to the suspect's apartment to look for her. They found the suspect with Matsuo's body.

The suspect also told police that she bought the tools she used to kill Matsuo a few days prior to the attack.

The suspect had been living alone in the apartment since April. Sankei Shimbun reported that her mother died of an illness last year and that her father had remarried.

Police are also investigating the posting of four anonymous messages, showing some bloody images, on 2channel, which purported to be from someone claiming he or she just murdered someone. The messages were posted after 10 p.m. on the night of the murder, police said.

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110 Comments
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This is beyond horrifying. Thoughts with the poor girls family, for their daughter to die in such a way and for it then to be broadcasted on the internet must be so traumatizing.

18 ( +19 / -1 )

Sounds like a textbook example of a psychopath to me.

18 ( +21 / -3 )

I wonder if she started on animals before as happened in the Kobe case.

13 ( +14 / -1 )

-"The suspect also told police that she bought the tools she used to kill Matsuo a few days prior to the attack."

Clear premeditation and .............

-"A 16-year-old high school girl who was arrested Sunday for the grisly murder of her 15-year-old classmate in Sasebo, Nagasaki Prefecture, told police on Monday that she wanted to see what it was like to kill someone."

................a complete lack of empathy or remorse for her victim. Psych 101 tells me she is a sociopath. I hope they don't give her 5 years in a psych ward then release back into society. These people just can't be rehabilitated.

15 ( +19 / -4 )

I know more murders happen in other countries, but at least they are over money, drugs, theft etc. The 'I just wanted to see what it is like to kill someone' excuse is something that is disturbingly frequent in Japan. I can't count how many times I've heard it. Last time was the teenager in Yokohama that stabbed a complete stranger with an ice pick... again, because he wanted to see what it was like to kill someone.

http://www.japantoday.com/category/crime/view/youth-attacks-70-year-old-man-with-ice-pick-in-yokohama-park

11 ( +20 / -9 )

According to Japanese news sources, her mother died of brain cancer in October, the girl began living on her own in April, and the father remarried in May.

When she was in the 6th grade, on one occasion she apparently poisoned the school lunches with a chlorine-based detergent because she had been ridiculed by her teacher (fortunately no students were injured). When in jhs she got in trouble for dissecting (dismembering?) a small animal.

She came from a well-off family and lived in an upscale neighborhood before moving out. She also had good grades in school, was intelligent, and her mother had been "education-obsessed" (教育熱心).

21 ( +22 / -1 )

Well daddy of this teen maniac, are you proud you and your new wife have quite time together at the expense of 2 lives?

And curious to kill is bad enough but the gory mutilation is beyond belief. This girl needed attention and her mother may have given it to her but daddy had other priorities. Now daddy, you can test your skills defending her in court.

-9 ( +12 / -23 )

Wow. That's truly horrific.

Sociopath for sure.

6 ( +9 / -3 )

Correction: The mother died of pancreatic cancer (not brain cancer).

10 ( +10 / -0 )

This girl sounds like she came from a really, really MESSED UP family! Last night, on the Japanese TV news, they added that this same girl also tried to kill her own father a few years back with a BASEBALL BAT!! That is why the father decided to send her off to this high school, where the students can live by themselves in a condominium, that bein said, that makes NO EXCUSE for trying to poison the lunches of her fellow students, cutting up small animals and now killing and cutting off the head and 1 hand of another high school girl! May this terrible criminal BURN IN HELL!! RIP poor victim of this cold, blooded killer

1 ( +12 / -11 )

I always keep in mind the punishments people would have in mind for a 16-year-old sex offender (castrating/executing and the like). The same if not worse should apply here, right?

-2 ( +4 / -6 )

The mother died last year and the dad is already married? He must have been really heartbroken. No wonder th daughter is messed up.

-3 ( +8 / -11 )

This girl has no conscious and no faith in God to do something so horrific to another human being

-21 ( +6 / -26 )

It's worth pointing out that lots of high school students in Japan live on their own for commuting reasons. It's not neccesarily a sign of family problems or neglect.

No, not necessarily. But its not exactly an ideal environment for a young person either, is it? Especially not after her mother has just died when she is only 15 years old.

This kid was obviously seriously messed up before any of this happened, and instead of DOING something about it, the parents (and by that I mean mostly the father as the mother clearly had her own problems to deal with) just washed his hands of her and carried on with his life as if nothing had happened. Certainly not as if his wife and the mother of his child had just died and his child was in serious need of psychological help. No excuses, but if this the kind of father she had to deal with as her mother was sick and dying before her eyes, is it any wonder she is totally messed up.

5 ( +10 / -5 )

This is what the world has come to.....

-4 ( +3 / -7 )

For a 16 years old girl to be experimenting with death is a sign that somebody failed in their job. Could have been the mother who expected only the best grades. Could have been the father, could have been the school, could have been all and everybody around. She has not become such a criminal by herself, but she was pushed into such a state by everybody who did not do their responsibilities. She will be punished, but is she the only one who deserves punishment?

4 ( +10 / -6 )

I am from Sasebo, this case looks like a serial killer in the making. They better lock her up for good, not just rehab her for 2 years and then let her go like in the Satomi Mirai case. She at least deserves 1 year for every year she took away from the other girl. I don't know how anyone can argue redemption in a disgusting case like this.

4 ( +9 / -5 )

Good to see her mental health has been carefully followed throughout her life...!

0 ( +3 / -3 )

gaijintraveller

I wonder if she started on animals before as happened in the Kobe case.

EXACTLY!!!. . .She could have been' flagged' - -and preventative measure could have been put in place. . .Problem is - -JAPAN needs to grow up and learn that MENTAL HEALTH can and MUST be treated . . .BESIDES, where the h### are SCHOOL COUNSELORS????? . .The School t had a memorial EVERY YEAR for some student that was murdered a few years back thinking that this would PREVENT another murder !!!!! . . . Honestly !!!

2 ( +4 / -2 )

Sorry readers, but I didn't read about the other things she did before posting the first time. Way to pawn your psycho kid off on others dad. You should've put her into a treatment facility when she tried to kill you. I hope you are haunted by the victim for the rest of your life. And I hope her parents sue your pants off.

0 ( +6 / -6 )

This doesn't surprise me at all. I bet the little psycho didn't feel anything at all.

1 ( +5 / -4 )

This girl obviously has a history of displaying symptoms of psychopathic tendencies. Those issues just intensified with her mom passing, her father remarrying, and her isolated living. Unfortunately, in normal Japanese fashion, the family chose to ignore it and sweep it under rug to avoid embarrassing the family name instead of getting the girl help.

It's not surprising when people comment on how there is a lack of common sense or just critical thinking in this society!

8 ( +12 / -4 )

She was living alone as preparations for her studying in Australia next term. But I agree the adults failed her.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

She appears more of a sociopath than a psychopath. I'm do not understand why a child who tried to poison her teacher is still at the school and living alone, rather than being assessed by health care professionals in an appropriate secure mental health facility. Surely the deafening sounds of alarm bells were obviously being ignored. An absolute scandal. All those involved with this child are culpable for enabling her to murder an innocent girl.

13 ( +14 / -1 )

A case for murder could be made against the father (but I realize that would never happen here). Acting with "reckless disregard" for others' safety makes one guilty of murder. He knew she was dangerous, and only cared about himself. He set her loose on unsuspecting people and look what happened.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

how terrible it is ,, apparently she was looking normal,, and why such horrible thinking started in here mind?, was her surrounding violent? was she watching terror game or movie? how she maintain a such horrible act for so long while doing all that staff? was she alone ?what brought her to such a state of mind. very sad for the victim and her family?

-5 ( +3 / -8 )

She was living alone as preparations for her studying in Australia next term.

Australia got lucky then.

I'm do not understand why a child who tried to poison her teacher is still at the school and living alone, rather than being assessed by health care professionals in an appropriate secure mental health facility.

Because this is Japan where people talk about mental health issues, but appear to have no understanding about how to deal with it. She will be back on the streets in a few years, but the worst thing I've read here is that she already showed signs of some mental disorder, but nothing was done?

4 ( +7 / -3 )

I don't care if she is 16 or 36 she needs to be put away for good. What a waste of a life!

5 ( +7 / -2 )

When she was in the 6th grade, on one occasion she apparently poisoned the school lunches with a chlorine-based detergent because she had been ridiculed by her teacher (fortunately no students were injured). When in jhs she got in trouble for dissecting (dismembering?) a small animal.

And what was done about this? Did the school call the cops? Why wasn't she flagged as having serious issues?

I'm not going to defend the dad on this but it sounds like mom was a "kyoiku mama" who seriously pressured the hell out of her kid to do well. Mom and dad were probably like so many of those marriages are - a contract. Dad works and plays the ATM, has affairs and has nothing to do with the kid. Mom focuses all her attention on the child and has far too high of expectations. The results is a messed up kid with serious issues that gets ignored by both parents - dad because he's unaware as he just supports the family with cash, mom who refuses to deal with the fact that she's helped create a stressed out kid who has mental issues and who will never live up to her expectations. I'm sure anyone here who taught kids at any sort of elite school here as seen similar families. Mom died, dads does what he's been doing for the past 15 years - throw money at the problem and marries his mistress he's probably been with for years. It's not all that uncommon for many divorced or widows men to marry right away.

Also heard there was a younger brother who died but have no idea how. This kid was failed by BOTH her parents and the system and now two families are dealing with the mess of it all - not to mention the community.

3 ( +10 / -7 )

She was living alone as preparations for her studying in Australia next term. (@It"s ME)

I know of very few junior/senior high schools in Japan that offer dormitory or other student living arrangements, but the schools that do offer this option seem to do a horrible job of ensuring the safety and well-being of the students involved.

From what I have seen and heard first-hand, well-off and neglectful parents in Japan often pawn off their troubled offspring to these sorts of schools. As a result, some very troubled youth from monied backgrounds live pretty much on their own in dorms with very little oversight and insufficiently staffed. The children may have somewhat structured meal times and study hall sessions, but after 10:00 pm or so the doors are locked and the kids are left completely unsupervised to fend for themselves until morning time. I have heard of some horrible cases of chronic and pervasive bullying at one such school in Japan due to this sort of arrangement (police even had to be called in to settle one such matter).

Also, a Japanese teacher extensively involved in foreign exchange once told me that many Japanese hs youth from well-off families are sent to Australia when parents/educators in Japan can no longer handle them. I guess they are hoping that people in Australia will do a better job of parenting than adults in Japan. Recipe for disaster. Without going into too much detail, I also know of a U.S. family who had a nightmare experience hosting one such severely troubled South Korean youth on a short-stay program, also from a well-off, educationally-obsessed family hoping that American parents could get a grip on the situation.

6 ( +7 / -1 )

Wow. Blame the parents. Blame the father. Accuse the father of not caring, having a mistress, and of course assume that having a mistress, that is where all his time went.

How about this? The girl has mental problems for being born that way. The mother and father were never trained to recognize or deal with said mental problems. Then the mother gets cancer and is sick and weak for how long? The father has a job to do to support his mental kid and dying wife. He might be a bit on the exhausted side. Wife finally dies after lengthy hospitalization and chemotherapy. Daughter becomes angry at the world during this process and its all worse than we might usually expect because she was born a bit mental.

Father tries to correct things by finding her a new mom just as fast as he can. But girl does not like her new mom and makes a decision to move away and is very insistent about this. Father figures all he can do is give in to her demand. But he has to stay put so he can work that job that supports his new wife and daughter living away in an apartment not free.

One might just as well blame her teachers with only imagination as proof, because there were more of them than just two parents. What were they doing? And police? After that poisoning incident, where they called? What did they do? Recommend counseling? Or to have the daughter removed from the home? Or just file a report and forget it?

6 ( +11 / -5 )

I blame terrible parents. I can imagine that the mother was the "brake" on her mental condition. "教育熱心", this is robbing the child from her childhood. It is the worst preparation for any child. It teaches children that other children are your enemies, you must beat them to win.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

Yes, my child is unstable, but it will sound better if I say my child is studying abroad! For the mentally unstable with little cash or time, the common recommendation was to learn English at Eikawa school. It basically, got them out of hair of the family. I can remember the numerous times people who had mental or physical breakdowns saying they were told to take lessons.

"You can't function in society then go be with foreigners." It is sad when the two most common ways to deal with problems in Japan is either apologizing or ignoring.

This current incident is just another symptom of a bigger problem here.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

The girl has mental problems for being born that way. The mother and father were never trained to recognize or deal with said mental problems.

I'm not an expert, but training shouldn't be necessary to understand that poisoning fellow students is not normal behavior.

11 ( +14 / -3 )

Wow. The thing with japan is that it has one of the lowest crime rates in the world, but when a crime does happen man is it messed up! I feel like society there is like a pressure cooker and that it's only a matter of time for someone to go coo coo for murder puffs.

-1 ( +5 / -6 )

SilvafanJul. 29, 2014 - 08:22AM JST

This girl obviously has a history of displaying symptoms of psychopathic tendencies. Those issues just intensified with her mom passing, her father remarrying, and her isolated living. Unfortunately, in normal Japanese fashion, the family chose to ignore it and sweep it under rug to avoid embarrassing the family name instead of getting the girl help.

what a joke! first off, there is no treatment for psycopathy. from wiki:

Psychopathy has often been considered untreatable. Harris and Rice's Handbook of Psychopathy says that there is little evidence of a cure or effective treatment for psychopathy; no medications can instill empathy, and psychopaths who undergo traditional talk therapy might become more adept at manipulating others and more likely to commit crime.

second, your sweeping generalization about what japanese families do is outdated. more and more modern families these days seek treatment for their children's problems. but obviously you would rather stick with an outdated and uninformed prejudice against japanese families.

1 ( +4 / -3 )

so she is 16 now? weren't they saying she was 15 or did she just have a birthday?

-1 ( +3 / -4 )

She turned 16 on Sunday or Monday.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

weren't they saying she was 15 or did she just have a birthday? Her birthday was on Monday.

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

One sick puppy.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

@tmarie

I agree the girl has serious psycho problems but your assumption over did it assuming what her parents were like. The focus is on the suspect don't blame her deceased mom! You know what they say about people who assume?

3 ( +4 / -1 )

For those wondering why she got away with things she did in school. Probably because her father, a lawyer, is the PTA chairman of her high school. Also her mother was board of education member and her grandfather operating the local newspaper.

8 ( +10 / -2 )

Kaimcahl, indeed I am making assumptions - based on what I have seen and what I have read about this child. Sorry but just because mom is dead doesn't mean she didn't help feed this girl's problems and shouldn't be "held" responsible for her role in parenting. She should be held responsible, probably more so than the father, when you think about the family dynamics in this country and who raises the kids. Dying doesn't make one a saint and doesn't make someone a perfect parent.

I agree the focus is on the suspect but you can't not blame the parents for a child who has a history of issues - poisoning school lunches and butchering animals? Sorry but no, parents have to be held responsible for that.

-2 ( +5 / -7 )

The mental health system in Japan (or rather lack of any mental health system in Japan) resulted in this girl's death.

It looks like there were plenty of warning signs:

dismembering animals trying to poison people broken family

And there were probably more warning signs if there had been any sort of mental health professional in the area... instead schools in Japan have "counsellors" who have little or no training, and undergrad degree in psychology and education, and no support or referral powers.

Oh, and the prognosis for this girl might actually be quite good... if she was in a Western medical health care facility... but in Japan she'll be locked away for life with little or no real treatment or hope of rehabilitation. Another burden on an already overburdened social security system when she could have been a productive member of society.

What a waste of two lives.

2 ( +5 / -3 )

"Sasebo girl says she wanted to see what it was like to kill someone"

If that was true you would not of chopped her up into pieces. Killing someone is sick, but chopping them up, takes it to a hole new level, and a new level of evil. Must get life in jail 100%. People must understand how it means she is an evil, sick monster. Being able to cut a human into pieces/chopping up some is beyond discussing.

3 ( +7 / -4 )

I'm not an expert, but training shouldn't be necessary to understand that poisoning fellow students is not normal behavior.

@Gobshite So are you saying its proof of mental illness then? Not just misbehavior but actual mental illness? Some of you need to get recognized by experts in the field of psychology fast, cause all you need is a couple articles on the net, your 20/20 hindsight kicks in, and you issue a 100 percent accurate psychological evaluation.

0 ( +6 / -6 )

@ zteano - Thanks for your post, it explains a lot.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

@rickyvee

Thank you for you Japanophile response. Using "Wiki" as your evidence shows you know very little about the subject but felt the need to defend Japan from the judgements of the foreigner that can't understand the Japanese way.

First, if you look beyond wiki (LOL!), there have been quite a bit research and protocols design to help manage and reduce the number of violent outbreaks by a patient.

Second, having three personal experiences in Japan with three different families. They all have a child with either sociopathic and psychopathic tendencies.

The first family with one foreign parent look far and wide to seek treatment for their child. After an exhaustive search with very few choices to choose, they chose to try the best out of the bunch. Once seeing the treatment and the facility basically saying "Taihen ne". The parents gave up on the medical industry here because the experts just told them to accept it; this, the parents are moving home to get better treatment for their child.

The second is my girlfriends family. Her brother has been displaying signs for years. The parents choose not to confront him and the sisters have very little contact with him. The parents choose to throw money at him to get out of their hair. They have bought him his own place specifically far away because they feared him continuing to live in the house. The whole family told me they fear him because of his violent outbreaks.

The third was dealing with students who has similar histories as this young girl. Including one instance where I had to stop a kid from harming another student. When I inquired further, I was told only the parents have the children committed, but the teacher told me that that families rarely do because of the unwanted attention brought on the family and child.

It is not always a good idea to use wiki as your only source of knowledge!

-1 ( +4 / -5 )

If one Googles "what it was like to kill someone" then one finds that alas, it is quite a prevalent motive for murder worldwide.

2 ( +7 / -5 )

A 16 year old girl living alone after losing her mother and no father to probably help out. It must have been a very sad life for the girl. What did this girl do when she was alone? Her computer or telephone records might tell more. Truly one of most horrifying killings after reading how the classmate was killed. Way too much information and at times we want to hear more.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

All readers back on topic please. Posts that do not focus on the Sasebo crime will be removed.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

but in Japan she'll be locked away for life with little or no real treatment or hope of rehabilitation.

Or she'll get out with a new name and identity supported by tax payers money - like the Kobe monster. The only "good" thing that came out of that was that they changed the laws from 16 to 14 with regards to treating "kids" as "adults" - and I believe they can now hang "kids".

The little terror who stabbed and killed her classmated in Sasebo ten years ago is out if I'm not mistaken. They lawyers will play the old "broken" family card but in this case, it is clear she was messed up long before her mom died and dad got remarried. Do I feel sorry for this kid? Yes but that doesn't mean I want her released because frankly, how does one ever go back from beheading someone?

3 ( +10 / -7 )

Regardless of the reason it breaks the heart to hear stories like this when a confession is made by a young girl for the motive. We should never judge a human being or make them inferior for having a serious mental disorder. Be grateful you don't suffer from any mental illness. Unfortunately there are many misconceptions about mental illnesses. But it's been documented that generally people kill for power and control, however people decide to kill because of a psychological build-up of physical or emotional trauma overtime. The initial triggers are numerous but the major ones are fear, anger, desperation, and greed. The individual traits does play a key role in how certain triggers can evolve into acts of violence and murder. In the end three factors influence a person to kill. Genetics, brain malfunction and various forms of abuse.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

Maybe this would be an appropriate time for JT to run an article, or series, on the workings of the Mental Health system in Japan. I for one would like to know, as I deal with young people who suffer from various Mental Health conditions in Australia. This could cover things as Identification/diagnosis, Referal to appropriate agencies, Support, Follow up/outreach, and then doing detailed studies based on evidence. It appears that in Japan there does not appear to be much support for sufferers. If this is so, then why.

3 ( +5 / -2 )

but in Japan she'll be locked away for life with little or no real treatment or hope of rehabilitation.

Or she'll get out with a new name and identity supported by tax payers money - like the Kobe monster.

Yeah, I don't know where the poster got the original thought from - child killers are usually (always?) released in Japan with a new identity.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

She is a minor. It is unlikely she will be punished. There is a four years gap for her for becoming the adult. She has already committed unthinkable crime. If she is still allowed to be free for another four years, there will be risks for other girls and rest of the community.

There is no excuse for mental health excuse for getting away with her barbaric crime. She should be faced with capital punishment when she becomes adult. Otherwise, she should be locked up for rest of her life for not committing that same crime again. RIP for poor victim and family.

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

wanted to see what it was like to kill someone

We hear this so often. Is it one of the multiple choice answers in the interview suite?

0 ( +1 / -1 )

She should be tried as an adult.

-1 ( +5 / -6 )

Two points: the buying of the tools used in the grizzly murder shows premeditation, pure and simple. That includes the saw.

Second: she probably knew that the last "child" who hacked off their friend's head....is now free and back in society. Thus, though she "wanted to see what it was like to kill someone," she also knew better to make sure the crime was as atrocious and heartless as possible: to be sure she'd be ruled insane and treated with kid gloves (no pun intended...well, maybe just a little!)

Think about it: she already knew what it was like to kill someone when she hammered her "friend" 10 times and then strangled her to death with a cord. So what of the chopped head (and hand?) Premeditated icing on the not-guilty-by-insanity cake.

6 ( +7 / -1 )

Sorry to those who want to pin this on the dad, but it was the girl who did this, not him. Someone noted that she WANTED to live alone in preparation to go live/study in Australia. If anything this is society's fault as a whole for allowing what was clearly a sociopath to go on living her daily life after not only trying to poison the school, but cutting up at least one animal on record. They did NOTHING about this and ignored the signs, and worse yet there's very little in place to help her if they would have bothered to try. This girl needs to be locked up, in prison as an adult, or in an asylum somewhere. Otherwise, she will do it again.

RIP to the victim and the family -- I cannot imagine the horror the family must feel.

1 ( +5 / -4 )

Manga!

-7 ( +3 / -9 )

Sick twisted little brat. Nothing for her and honestly do not think she should allowed to be around others either ever. What ever it takes to lock her away for good is too good for her.

0 ( +3 / -3 )

Suddenly a lot of psychologist, sociologists and criminologist around here....

7 ( +10 / -3 )

Suddenly a lot of psychologist, sociologists and criminologist around here....

Well I'm guessing some of us did study in those fields...

0 ( +7 / -7 )

So many people here imagining all the unknown details about the girl's relationship with her parents, and what they did or failed to do. Clearly the girl has history of mental issues and and the authorities, or the 'system' (if they had been informed by parents or the school) failed to take action to protect others from her potential. But let's face it, there are countless people around the world, including in Japan, from 'broken homes' or whose parent has remarried and who don't like the new step-parent, and they don't all commit a barbaric pre-meditated murder. Many go on to lead normal and productive lives.Those commenting here that the blame lies completely with the parents presumably like to apportion blame for all attrocities on someone other than the perpetrator. Of course they probably could have done more, but there's no point in us readers making detailed assumptions without any evidence. Sometimes people are just evil or suffering from extreme mental illness and no amount of parenting is going to change that - they're off the scale. Other killers have grown up at home with both parents around for them. Suggesting a corellation from a sample of 1 isn't very clever.

1 ( +4 / -3 )

Daniel Neagari: "Suddenly a lot of psychologist, sociologists and criminologist around here...."

Some of us, no doubt, and others merely stating opinion and/or fact based on similar cases here in Japan or in comparison with other nations. I notice you didn't have an opinion.

And why am I not surprised that she immediately went to 2-channel and that 2-channel allowed horrible pictures and even more horrible posts ("Anyone want to know what color the brain is?", etc.)?

0 ( +5 / -5 )

Some J-parents: "Yes, my child is unstable, but it will sound better if I say my child is studying abroad!"

For the mentally unstable with little cash or time, the common recommendation was to learn English at Eikawa school. It basically, got them out of hair of the family. I can remember the numerous times people who had mental or physical breakdowns saying they were told to take lessons.

Some J-parents: "You can't function in society then go be with foreigners."

It is sad when the two most common ways to deal with problems in Japan is either apologizing or ignoring.

This current incident is just another symptom of a bigger problem here.

0 ( +4 / -4 )

Well, now she knows.

Personal problems with this kind of "I wonder..." craziness begin the next day.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

The warning signs were there. The system failed these girls.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

All you pro-death penalty people better be the ones hoping to see her hang. I am sick of this "think of the children" crap. The law should be blind to gender and past a direct cutoff, age. If you want some oyaji to hang for killing Aiwa, then you should should equally want it for Emiko.

-4 ( +3 / -7 )

@Gobshite So are you saying its proof of mental illness then? Not just misbehavior but actual mental illness?

I'm saying that her kind of behavior, speaking as a non expert, was very, very wrong. I have never met anyone who poisoned people, nor did I meet anyone who or cut up animals unless in a science class, butcher shop or on a farm. These are not simple behavioral problems.

Then to let a 15 year old kid live in an apartment alone? A 15 year old with obvious "issues", added to the trauma of losing her mother, and her father shacked up with another woman barely before her mother is cold..... talk about a story full of fail.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Yes, sad, but she should be executed, too. The laws are there to protect people who follow them. Not those who break them, and the people shilling for them. (Haha, who am I kidding???) But that it is what it should be, not what is.

-2 ( +3 / -5 )

Not sure what to make of this. Too much violence in media mixed with the decay of her family, I suppose. Mother died only last year and father already remarried .... Just how cold-hearted can a person be?!

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

The uncontrollable curiosity/ desire to kill ( an unfortunate, atavistic trait afflicting members of the primate family) has often been observed in similar "inexplicable" homicides. It has even been the subject of the 1997 Japanese film: "Cure" by Kurosawa Kiyoshi. As the psychiatrist in the film observed, nobody can explain the motive, not even the killer. This is the unpalatable truth that stares out at us from the mirror. The evil lurking in the darkest recesses of the human mind is as terrifying as it is unfathomable. The etiology of mental disorders aggravated by environmental stimuli ( warfare being the most extreme) creates the "perfect storm" that results in such tragedies. Instead of recrimination and blame we need to humbly accept the flawed constitution of our primate inheritance, immortalized in the words "Father forgive them, they know not what they do."

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

I think to blame her parents is a bit rich. Ever think that maybe she's just got a head full of bad wiring? Some people are just, for want of a better word, evil. Dismembering small animals and poisoning school meals doesn't strke me as a way that someone would act if feeling under pressure. It sounds like a calculating mind, methodical and cruel.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

If this is what a so called friend can do to another friend, thank god Iam not one of her enemies!! god knows what the other girls parents are felling like they must be so upset, my deepest sympathies go out to them, as for the other girl, well can she ever be cured ? should she Hang by the neck ? I don't know but there is something deeply wrong with this girl.

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

My deepest sympathies go to the family of this poor victim.

But 'I wanted to know what it felt like to kill someone!'. What a poor excuse. And because she's a juvenile, I bet she gets let off and sent to a 'special' education centre and is re-unleashed on society when she's 20. But then it's one strike and you're out and you're on death row.

But sometimes you need a short sharp shock to treat kids that think like this. Show and teach by example, so to say. You know what, I suddenly have this primordial urge to know what it feels like to kill someone. Get the police to tie the evil girl up and I'll come and show her what it feels like to be in front of someone who just wants to know what it's like to kill someone. I'm sure she'll understand, I mean, she did it, so of course she should understand when someone thinks the same and wants to do it to her.

Of course this should be publicized and any kid thinking they can get away with this will learn. Quickly.

Anyway, joking aside (I'm worried some people here may take the above too seriously - NOTE, I do not seriously want to know what it's like to kill anybody!), they really need to throw the book at this girl. Do something, otherwise there will be more and more copycat killings. And how many more families around Japan have to suffer because of the madness of a few untreated individuals? Seriously, if the above is not possible, and of course it's not, some short, sharp shock needs to be thought up to hammer these nails that stick out back down quickly.

Battle Royale anyone?

-6 ( +0 / -6 )

@Reckless. Victim blaming, nice.

2 ( +5 / -3 )

Can you say sociopath?

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Horrible crime. I wonder if the deceased bullied her,,,

Would it make the crime acceptable if she had?

1 ( +2 / -1 )

She should have also thought about what is to be in jail all about.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

Sick. That's the only word that comes to my mind when I read this. Sick.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

And there was I now living in the US and thinking how nice it would be to host Japanese teenagers who want to study abroad for a while, to help keep the kids Japanese language up.

Not a chance now, based on what people are saying above about sending mentally ill teenagers overseas to study! Oh yes, ware ware nihonjin are SO considerate of others. Lets pack off our crazy violent child to an unsuspecting host family with young children.

0 ( +4 / -4 )

I don't know why people are blaming the parents. Psychopaths are born not created. Your boss may be a psychopath, just not criminal. This girl showed every sign of going the criminal route. The 6th grade incident should have set alarm bells. What normal kid poisons her class. But psychopaths are charming, smart, and manipulative. They are like small kids that use a magnifying glass to burn ants but as adults, they can do that to people. The system failed here since she tried to poison her 6 grad classmates and attack her father with a baseball bat, these should have been enough but nothing seemed to have been done or even noticed. She crossed the barrier in 6th grade. Here is an interesting article on the subject of psychopaths. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/10737827/Psychopaths-how-can-you-spot-one.html

0 ( +2 / -2 )

She must have been watching too much Tokyo Ghoul.

-3 ( +0 / -3 )

I was a psychologist. Yes, it's shatteringly tragic. But...we don't know enough about this girl, about her history, her home and school life, what was in her mind to make judgement calls about why or how or to diagnose her. Yes, she could be psychopathic, she could be sociopathic, she could be a paranoid schizophrenic, or she could just be a sad little girl screaming for the attention she desperately needed. And yes, people do kill for attention. After all, who's getting all this attention now?

Pancreatic cancer is a horribly painful and miserable thing to die of. Did this girl witness her mother's suffering? Was she expected to help care for her? Perhaps forced? That could be a contributing factor. There could be a multitude of contributing factors. We just don't know. And she will be unlikely to tell any psychiatrist or psychologist, IF she gets one, the truth of her motivations. The one thing I know from my psychology practice, while I did it and before I burnt out, is that patients lie to their analysts, the hide the truths, they say what they think the analyst wants to hear. It takes a lot of work to eventually uncover those truth, and I doubt anyone will take the trouble with this sad creature to discover those truth. She's going to say what she thinks will get her the most attention and will shock and horrify the most people. She's famous now. She's getting attention. I suspect that to be a very large part of what she wanted.

"Look at me, daddy. Can you see me now?"

5 ( +6 / -1 )

@ka_chan, nice article .... unfortunately also shows prison psychiatrist coaching psychopathic inmates on how to get out. Good thing the psychiatrists have got their priorities straight!

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/10737827/Psychopaths-how-can-you-spot-one.html

"How many psychopaths go to a psychiatrist for mental distress, unless they're in prison? It doesn't happen," says Hare. The ones in prison, of course, are often required to go to "talk therapy, empathy training, or talk to the family of the victims" - but since psychopaths don't have any empathy, it doesn't work. "What you want to do is say, 'Look, it's in your own self-interest to change your behaviour, otherwise you'll stay in prison for quite a while.' "

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

Judging from some of the comments here, there are plenty more violence obsessed psychos here in Japan. The glee with which you dream up torturous "punishments" is horrifying. Look in the mirror before you post such vileness,

4 ( +5 / -2 )

Oh society dreams them up, Row. Society dreams them up...

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Seems not only did she cut off the hand and head, she also rippped open the girl's chest. Japantimes has an article about it that is shocking. Huge failure of society this one is.

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

Yes, she said she wanted to know what it looks like inside a human body. Clearly removed from society and no remorse of killing her victim. Sounds like a Psychopath to me. Unfortunately, I think she needs to be institutionalized and monitored carefully. My guess it will be difficult to get her back on track, and with a background like this who could ever be her friend, let alone be alone with her. She will further drop into a black hole and away from mainstream society. What can we do with her?

1 ( +2 / -1 )

"I wanted to know what it was like to kill someone." Perhaps her hangman could say this.

-3 ( +2 / -5 )

Japan is in sad need of changing their laws to where under aged children get the very same punishment for the crimes they commit as an adult would.

This girl is in need of also being shown what the sentence of murder is since she wanted to see what it was like to murder some one in cold blood.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

S'why minors shouldn't be living without legal guardians.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

My friends. Proof, if you needed any, that society is broken.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

Just sick to know that one day this little psycho could move into the apartment next to me. Her name should be plastered everywhere just so that people can protect themselves and their families from her some day.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

@ bonestructure - Your comment really rings true, especially the last quote

0 ( +0 / -0 )

She wanted to "dissect" a human body based on a Japantimes article. This kid is one sick puppy.

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

No doubt that the suspect's childhood had been through rough phase & she herself might have witnessed lot of domestic violence. This is why a mother is so important for a child. The father is equally responsible as he deserted this 15 year child just to remarry another woman. Worst of the deaths anyone could have ever. My condolences goes to the family of the victim. May god give them courage to go through this devastating incident.

-4 ( +0 / -4 )

Where have there been any suggestions of DV in the house? Yes, mothers are important but reading articles, it sounds like this mother pushed this child to the point of breaking.

-3 ( +1 / -4 )

tmarie

There was a case of DV several years ago but the accused was the assailant. She went into her father's bedroom while he was asleep at night and beat him with an aluminum baseball bat, fracturing his skull and knocking some of his teeth. She also poisoned a classmate's school lunch several years ago by pouring a chemical, I think it was bleach, into it when the classmate wasn't looking. This was not an individual that suddenly snapped without exhibiting prior warning signs...

0 ( +1 / -1 )

US, well aware of those incidents as I posted about them in this very thread. My comment is related to the post above mine that seems to suggest that the father was abusing the wife.

Worth noting, dad didn't contact the police about the beating. Had he, that poor girl might still be alive. Japan Times is carrying more detailed articles. This kid was clearly an issue and as usual, it was all swept under the rug by family, friends and the like. Didn't even get in trouble for the poisoning - which she did SIX times!! Insane.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

The kindest thing you could do for this child at this point is to put her down... It looks beyond repair to me, and even if it wasn't, how could you trust it wouldn't happen again?

After everything she's been through I don't think she "deserves" all the harsh things people are saying to do to her, moreso I believe that they are necessary to put a stop to this threat and end her endless misery.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

And in a few years she'll be released and given a new identity, as happened in the case involving the teenager in Kobe (now free and walking about somewhere) who placed another boy's head on a school gate. They really need to lock these little monsters up for a very long time.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Bonestructure:

" she could just be a sad little girl screaming for the attention she desperately needed. ..."Look at me, daddy. Can you see me now?" "

I am open to all speculations, but really, a "sad little girl" wanting her dad to see her is a bit far out. Don´t you think her dad "saw" her already after she bashed his dead and teeth in with a baseball bat??

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Jamez:

... and end her endless misery.

She doesn't come through as miserable. Maybe not even particularly unhappy. It's the people around her who are paying ...

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Surely, some people born lucky not to worry missing any single meal and who were just bored to death with all the money and free time never even thought how lucky they were. Hope she is locked away forever or better yet, capital punishment. The brutality is beyond repair. if it is just a mere self defense, there could be a possibility of rehabilitation but not this one. So sad for the victim who maybe considered her a real friend. RIP poor girl.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

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