National News Takuma hangs for massacre of eight children at Osaka elementary school

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Mamoru Takuma, who murdered eight children at an Osaka elementary school in 2001, was hanged Sept. 14 at the Osaka Detention House.

Takuma, 40, was convicted of murder and attempted murder over the stabbing spree at Osaka Kyoiku University Ikeda Elementary School in Ikeda, Osaka Prefecture, on June 8, 2001. In addition to killing the eight children, he wounded 13 other students and two teachers.

Takuma was sentenced to death by the Osaka District Court in August 2003 and his defense team filed an appeal. But Takuma withdrew the appeal the following month, finalizing the sentence. At the time, he said he did not want to live on without a purpose.

An execution less than a year after a death penalty is finalized is extremely rare. Most convicts spend years on death row, and in recent years the shortest time spent waiting for execution was four years.

Soon after his sentence was made final, Takuma made public through his lawyers a letter in which he requested that his execution be carried out "within three months if possible."

Relatives of his victims had also sought swift punishment, saying they wished to see him die suffering, just like his prey.

Parents of the victims, however, expressed mixed feelings Sept. 14, with some saying they had hoped Takuma would apologize. (Kyodo)

池田小事件、宅間死刑囚に刑執行

14日、大阪教育大学付属池田小学校の児童殺傷事件(2001年6月)を起こした宅間守死刑囚の死刑が執行された。

Shukan ST: Sept. 24, 2004

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