Japan Today
crime

Top court upholds 27-year sentence for Vietnamese man convicted of murder

16 Comments

The second petty bench of the Supreme Court has turned down an appeal by a 25-year-old Vietnamese man convicted of murdering a man in 2019, finalizing his 27-year prison sentence.

The court on Thursday denied the appeal of Nguyen Dinh Hai who was convicted of killing Isao Osato, 76, and attempting to kill Osato’s wife Yuko, 73, at their farmhouse Yachiyo, Ibaraki Prefecture, in 2019, Kyodo News reported Friday.

Nyugen, who came to Japan as an agricultural technical trainee, lived about 1.5 kilometers from the farmhouse. According to the court ruling, Osato and his wife were attacked sometime before 3 a.m. on Aug 24, 2019. The couple’s 42-year-old son who lived in another residence near the farmhouse, called 119 at around 3:15 a.m. He said he heard the dog barking and went to check on his parents. He found them both collapsed, bleeding from knife wounds.

Isao had more than 10 knife wounds to his chest and stomach and was declared dead at the scene. His wife Yuko was stabbed in the stomach and found in the corridor outside her bedroom. She later told police that a man wearing a black ski mask stabbed her.  

The court heard that Nyugen entered the farmhouse through an unlocked door.

Street surveillance camera footage which was taken about 100 meters from the victims' residence showed a man wearing a hood walking along the road leading to the Osatos' home at around 1:35 a.m. He is next seen running away from the home at around 2:50 a.m.  

Nyugen was seen on surveillance camera footage at a home center purchasing a knife there on the night of Aug 23. It was the same type of blood-stained knife police found at the crime scene.

Footprints left outside the farmhouse also matched those of Nyugen’s shoes which were blood-stained when he was arrested.

© Japan Today

©2025 GPlusMedia Inc.

16 Comments
Login to comment

This evil coward deserved to be hung. Now he gets free food and shelter provided by the long-suffering taxpayer for a couple of decades.

The image many Japanese used to have of the Vietnamese was that of hardworking, diligent, honest and and brave (they fought against the Imperial China for centuries and recently the Communist China). The image has been completely shattered.

Vietnam is not exactly sending their "best and brightest" to Japan.

8 ( +13 / -5 )

@meiyouwenti - Why would 1 incident shatter an image?

From my experience the description you gave of many Vietnamese here in Japan is apt.

Painting a whole nation black so simply, spotlights the accuser.

7 ( +10 / -3 )

A group of people like the Vietnamese can't be judged by the actions of a few.

6 ( +10 / -4 )

John, he almost killed two people. I assure you he would have gotten the good old rope 'n' swing treatment if the lady would have died of her injuries.

Also, everywhere in the world the manner someone kills is considered during sentencing. Stabbing someone more than ten timesv then following it up with stabbing another victim once the first one stops moving shows a particularly vicious character. He should never be allowed back in the society imho.

5 ( +6 / -1 )

Good, rot in jail...

Deserved good old gallows..

Japan, be careful with your immigrants..

3 ( +14 / -11 )

Based on the evidence written here, he sounds guilty to me. I wonder what his motive was for the attacks?

1 ( +1 / -0 )

@Tokyo living, yes Japan shld be wary of its immigrants. Just a month ago a group of Vietnamese guys got into trouble when one chased another with a meter long samurai likeness where more than 5 patrol cars came over.

0 ( +6 / -6 )

sakurasukiNov. 18  10:16 am JST

The fact they are not trainee, they are doing actual job with less pay, less then minimum wage. With that condition some of them, still can't get the amount that they are supposed get.

I was disappointed by the amount of dislikes. Perhaps it was the quoting that Vietnam....best and brightest cause the dislike, which in that case I concur.

The remainder of your comment is right on. Call it what it is - Low skilled immigrant labor. But it helps everyone sleep better knowing that the people who pick their fruit, make bentos, and mop hospitals is training for those less fortunate.

Knowing your freshly pick vegetable have been picked by exploited migrants, just does not taste as good.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

smithinjapan ......then force people into slavery and debt to the point where they are desperate to go back to their home countries, they are naturally not always going to get the best, and one or two might even be desperate enough to kill.

A bit of hyperbole, the comparison to slavery. For a better comparison to slavery, think of a dog, on a chain, left outside 24/7, in some shappy cage, an old blanket whose very existence is at the whim of its master/mistress. Chattel, property to use and dispose of as you choose.

I think the trainees system is a sham, encourages exploitation both here and perhaps more so in the home countries of the migrants. But, in the end, they can leave. A fact that slaves were not entitled to.

I don't agree that anything can justify murdering and attacking people in their 70's who from the information available never met the animal who attacked them.

However I support your general message. The low skilled abusive migrant system needs a major overhaul and oversight. I won't dignify the program by using the "T" word.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

John

There has not been such penalty for other murder cases. This guy getting like more than 3 to 4 times sentence for being a foreigner. The laws seem to apply differently depending on people’s race. It is disgusting to see racial discrimination done openly.

Do you have any evidence to support this?

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Fighto!: "Vietnam is not exactly sending their "best and brightest" to Japan."

It is a well-known fact that Japan's "trainee program" is in fact human trafficking, and many cases result in far, far more than abuse. When Japan only wants to pay the bare minimum, then force people into slavery and debt to the point where they are desperate to go back to their home countries, they are naturally not always going to get the best, and one or two might even be desperate enough to kill.

It's interesting how vehement towards this person you are, though. You have NEVER spoken the same way about murders committed by Japanese. In fact, dead silence from you on those threads. You didn't call the 19-year old who stabbed a bunch of people scum, or suggest he is not the best or brightest of the nation despite him believing he would be a doctor. Oops.

-4 ( +2 / -6 )

The image many Japanese used to have of the Vietnamese was that of hardworking, diligent, honest and and brave (they fought against the Imperial China for centuries and recently the Communist China). The image has been completely shattered.

-6 ( +6 / -12 )

Supreme Court has turned down an appeal by a 25-year-old Vietnamese man convicted of murdering a man in 2019, finalizing his 27-year prison sentence.

This case reached almost reached supreme court? All evidences are against him, footprint, bloodstains and also security camera nearby. It's premeditated by young version of him, he was 21 year old at that time but his motives still unclear.

https://www.kobe-np.co.jp/rentoku/omoshiro/202112/0014909851.shtml

https://www.asahi.com/articles/ASM935TN7M93UJHB01F.html

May that victim RIP, he was not related at all except his home is near that Vietnamese working place.

Just another cost of Japanese cheap labor program, where people with lower socio-economic status from developing nation can get into Japan. Without this program those people can't make it to Japan at all, using tourist visa they need to show minimum bank account where most of those people can't afford. Using working visa, they don't have minimum college degree that being required.

Only by Japan's cheap labor program that called trainee those people can entered Japan.

-7 ( +7 / -14 )

Hiring foreign labor for the "cheap" jobs Japanese don't want to do comes with some hidden expenses.

-9 ( +2 / -11 )

Vietnam is not exactly sending their "best and brightest" to Japan.

There will be price for quality and Japan only can get for what Japan willing to pay.

The term trainee , just a trick so Japan can get cheap labor because they are trainee which still in training. The fact they are not trainee, they are doing actual job with less pay, less then minimum wage. With that condition some of them, still can't get the amount that they are supposed get.

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2022/08/30/national/foreign-trainee-workers/

https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20181204/p2a/00m/0na/008000c

-11 ( +3 / -14 )

There has not been such penalty for other murder cases. This guy getting like more than 3 to 4 times sentence for being a foreigner. The laws seem to apply differently depending on people’s race. It is disgusting to see racial discrimination done openly.

-12 ( +4 / -16 )

Login to leave a comment

Facebook users

Use your Facebook account to login or register with JapanToday. By doing so, you will also receive an email inviting you to receive our news alerts.

Facebook Connect

Login with your JapanToday account

User registration

Articles, Offers & Useful Resources

A mix of what's trending on our other sites