Man who ‘had to’ kill 19 disabled people at care home pleads not guilty
Despite entering the not guilty plea, Satoshi Uematsu, a former worker at the Tsukui Yamayuri-en centre in the town of Sagamihara outside Tokyo, admitted he was behind the horrific stabbing rampage.
In a dramatic trial on Wednesday, which saw Uematsu removed from court after security held him down as he writhed on the floor, the 29-year-old did not deny his involvement in the fatal attacks.
Uematsu’s lawyers instead claimed their client – who is facing the death penalty – was suffering a ‘mental disorder’ linked to his use of marijuana at the time and chose to plead not guilty on this basis.
‘He was in a condition in which either he had no capacity to take responsibility or such a capacity was significantly weakened.’
However, since his arrest he has told interviewers that he ‘had to do it for the sake of society’, after turning himself into police while still armed with bloodied knives in July, 2016.
It was later discovered that he had left his job at the care home just months earlier and had been forcibly hospitalised after telling colleagues of his plans to kill people at the centre.
Just 12 days later he was discharged after a doctor deemed him not to be a threat but he went on to carry out his campaign of terror some months after.
Uematsu faces the death penalty if convicted on some of the six charges, including murder, with a verdict expected on March 16.
Since his arrest, he has shown no remorse, telling Japan’s Mainichi Shimbun daily that people with mental disabilities ‘have no heart’, and ‘there’s no point in living’ for them.
‘I had to do it for the sake of society,’ he said of the attack.
During the trial, Uematsu had to be removed from the room after he reportedly put something in his mouth and started writhing on the floor as security held him down.
Uematsu’s beliefs have shocked Japan, with experts and activists raising questions about whether others might hold similar views.
Japan has been making efforts to increase accessibility – particularly in Tokyo ahead of this year’s Paralympic Games – and activists hailed last year’s election of two disabled lawmakers.
But some critics feel the country still falls short of fully integrating people with disabilities.
The case has attracted significant attention, with hundreds of people lining up in the rain for a chance to attend the first session.
‘I want to know why he came to have such ideas about disabled people,’ said Yuki Kuriyama, 41, who uses a wheelchair.
Many of the names of those killed in the rampage have been withheld by family members who are fearful of similar attacks or discrimination.
The relative of a 55-year-old man killed at the home told NHK a long-time neighbour had said after the murders: ‘It’s sad that it happened, but wasn’t it good for you?’
Among the few victims to be identified publicly was a 19-year-old woman, Miho, whose mother told Japanese media she hoped the trial would start a conversation on ‘how we can build a society to prevent a recurrence of this sad incident’.
‘I want Miho to be remembered,’ she added. ‘She was a daughter we were very proud of.’
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