Stewart Gale comments

Yeah, Sven.

Best they just continue to rely on 23 days of questioning with no access to legal counsel and a resulting “confession”.

I’m not from America, Wandora.

How can there be a possibility of Donald Trump becoming president of the USA again?

I completely despair of America that this can even be a possibility.

It’s completely unfathomable to me.

What does the fact he had traces of cannabis in his blood have to do with it?

Smoking weed (at some point in the last 3-6 months, as that is how long it stays in your system) generally doesn’t make you lose balance and fall off a building.

Drinking multiple cans of strong alcohol can, however.

It’s just a cheap way to further demonise cannabis to the Japanese masses who know absolutely nothing about it apart from what they have been preached to by people who have never smoked it and also know nothing about it (school teachers etc.).

1 - The current LDP Prime Minister has a very low approval rating.

2 - The LDP change leader for the umpteenth time.

3 - The new leader quickly becomes equally as unpopular.

4 - Around one in three people eligible to vote in Japan actually vote and the LDP gets voted in yet again.

Repeat 1 - 4

Hawk,

The police giving the driver's name to the media implies guilt and wrongdoing.

I don't understand or agree with this practice of naming people before they have been charged with a crime.

Ken Holcomb.

Just because the victim of the accident was a child, it doesn't mean they weren't at fault (or their parents weren't at fault for not supervising them correctly). It's not always the driver's fault.

For example, if a child suddenly rides out between two parked cars right in to the path of an oncoming car and is tragically struck by the car, I fail to see why the driver should be arrested, named, shamed and accused of committing a crime.

Another example of Japan's incredibly strict and unfair legal system.

Wesley,

Sorry, you’ve lost me.

And, with regards to your pondering of where drugs in Japan come from Wesley.

You would imagine the Yakuza are behind it and they possibly source their product from China and North Korea, or South East Asia. Or Europe….

I think it is fairly ludicrous of you to suggest that the sellers in these countries’ prime motivations are to destabilise Japan and to corrupt its youth.

It’s a business and all parties are doing it to make money, as simple as that.

Wesley,

If you want to live in a society that executes drug dealers, perhaps you should consider relocating to Saudi Arabia or Iran or somewhere like that.

You are very much in the minority with such extreme views.

The rest of us more reasonable, moderate thinkers are satisfied with the current system of custodial sentences for such criminals.

Settle down Wesley.

I don’t think North Korean or Chinese agents are roaming the wilds of Gifu Prefecture searching for teenagers to give drugs to.

Have you considered the possibility that these youngsters have a connection to a local, Japanese dealer?

Honestly, the imagination some people have.

And, your suggestion of executing low level criminals, such as street drug dealers - laughable, ridiculous and completely absurd in a developed country.

Where on earth are you getting those prices from Wallace?

They are completely inaccurate, from what I have independently heard and read.

Divide that by seven and you are about right.

From the brief facts outlined in the story, this is not attempted murder. It doesn’t even sound like a crime at all to me

If some belligerent drunk decides to hold on to a moving car, more fool him.

But they’ll still win the next general election.

Depressingly.

Nothing but scandal and controversy surrounding this political party.

Yet, they get voted back in, in every single election.

What a sad and damning indictment of the general apathy in this country.

And will Jason Statham be taking on his usual role of “lovable rogue”…?

Gazman,

Even in the countryside, I’ll never understand why someone wouldn’t just take the normal precaution of locking their front door or car.

It’s not like it’s in any way troublesome, it takes about two seconds to do.

Is this some new type of perversion?

Mr Kipling, you are suggesting copper wire thieves deserve to die?

That's pretty hardline, even by this website's commenters' low standards.

Another ridiculously lenient sentence handed down by a Japanese court.

Is the possession of recreational class C drugs the only crime they clamp down on strongly?

Some of the sentencing for murder seems to be incredibly low and sexual offenses are dealt with by no more than a slap on the wrist, it would appear.

If the guy lived there, surely his DNA is everywhere. Any lawyer worth his salt would argue that

Cops better get their usual confession….

That’s a superb excuse.

@John

Unless he did it deliberately, it’s not murder.

It could be called vehicular manslaughter or death by dangerous driving.

An example can be seen above.

Why do you support and enjoy the death penalty so much Tokyoliving?

Is it because you see it as a deterrent or simply that it satisfies your blood lust for revenge.

On the good old gallows, of which you always speak.

At US Reamer.

I think the desire for and popularity of the death penalty in Japan is based on the idea of revenge, rather than the prevention of further crimes.

@virusrex

Ordinarily, I’m not a supporter of the death penalty but when you murder 36 completely innocent people in such a cruel and horrifying way, and you are clearly guilty of the crime, you have forfeited your right to be dealt with by a justice system in any other way.

I think certain extreme, particulary heinous crimes warrant the death penalty.

This is definitely one of them.

@pseudonymouse

Japan murders condemned criminals by hanging.

As others have written, why is this violent criminal being celebrated here?

@Tokyoliving

I find it mildly disturbing, the delight and glee you take in capital punishment.

I read you wrote “live and let live” on another post recently.

You obviously didn’t mean that.