Court sentences 'Joker' to 23 years for stabbing passenger, setting a fire on a Tokyo train

During the trial, Hattori told the court he was so shocked when he learned that his girlfriend had married someone else only six months after they broke up that he decided to carry out the attack so he could end his life by receiving the death penalty

Had I been the judge in the case I would have factored that heavily into my decision and instead given him life in prison and away from the rest of society whom he obviously finds a joke! Well, 23 years ought to give him something to laugh about ya think!

Court sentences 'Joker' to 23 years

He just won't do any Halloween in public until 2046.

Deserved Gallows..

I hope this makes people trying to do the same think twice.

He will still only be 49, perhaps a longer sentence so there is little of his life left on release would get the message across both to him and any wannabe copycats. If they realise they won’t be getting their desired death sentence but merely wasting their life away in a prison cell it just might change their minds and save innocent lives.

The real 'Jokers' here are the Japanese Courts.

He should be sentenced in accordance with his actions, not the outcome.

The intent was to inflict maximum carnage, therefore he deserves the maximum sentence - life imprisonment.

englisc aspyrgendToday 07:27 am JST

He will still only be 49, perhaps a longer sentence so there is little of his life left on release would get the message across both to him and any wannabe copycats.

unfortunately he is beyond reform and prison life will only make him more jaded and spiteful than he already is! And as far as others are concerned, this story won't reach those others who may follow down this destructive path as they have no interest in what's happening around them to read the news and instead live in their own tiny little self indulgent universe!

Mental illness is acted out in many guises. "The Joker" is just one. We won't have to wait long for the next...

Two years from incident to conviction. That's speedy justice for Japan. I'm just glad that there was no "suspended for three years" included in the article, which, unfortunately, happens a lot here in Japan.

He'll be 49 by the time he gets out of jail. Should have given him an extra 11 so he'd be 60 when he got out.

@tokyoliving

You seem to be obsessed with capital punishment and “the gallows”.

Have you ever heard of a case like this, where no one died, resulting in the convicted person being executed?

I haven’t.

For such a bloodthirsty person, you seem quite ill-informed about crimes and their typical punishments.

For once, a Japanese court hands down a sentence commensurate with the crime. I was really expecting something like 5 years, based on so many recent light sentences for violent crimes including homicide.

23 years seems about right for attempted murder and arson.

...he decided to carry out the attack so he could end his life by receiving the death penalty...

I can think of a number of ways he could have accomplished that without harming innocent strangers.

A terrible person. Deserves longer if you ask me.

On the other hand, parents abusing and killing their kids don't seem to get sentences anywhere near that here.

A strange justice system

This douche bag should be dangling on a rope.

factchecker

This douche bag should be dangling on a rope.

You may want to change your username because the fact is he didn't actually kill anybody, which is a prerequisite for the death penalty.

Media outlets shouldn’t refer to this criminal as the name mentioned in the headline. He obviously idolizes the character and getting recognized as the character probably makes him happy. It may also influences others who want to be recognized as a super villain to copy him.

Am I only one who thinks this sentence is too heavy?

@mountainpear

In the west, the sentence for a crime like would be about the same. In Japan however, where we are used to seeing murderers get little over 10 years and sex offenders getting no more than slaps on the wrist, it does seem high.

The justice system in the country just feels so random.

*for a crime like this

mountainpear

Am I only one who thinks this sentence is too heavy?

Yes.

Am I only one who thinks this sentence is too heavy?

It's a fair question. But I think the key issues are that it was premeditated, the intent was to kill, and the potential victims were random. It seems fair to me and not out of line with normal sentencing in Japan.