Yasuaki Uwabe

Case record: Yasuaki Uwabe — Shimonoseki Station massacre

Background

Yasuaki Uwabe (Japanese: 上部康明) was born in Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi. After graduating from Kyushu University in 1989, Uwabe left one job in 1991 and left another job at an architectural firm because of his social phobias. He married in 1993 and opened his own architectural firm, but quit in 1997 due to his phobias.

As he ran out of money, he received a loan to buy a truck and began work in the delivery service industry, while also isolating himself. He got a divorce in June 1999. On September 24 of the same year, his truck was lost in a flood due to a typhoon, and his loan was recalled. He asked his parents to pay for the loan but they refused.

Uwabe described that after graduating as a first class architect from a national university of Japan, he found it hard to open his own design office and began to blame his parents and society for his frustration. He said he was also motivated by another crime three weeks earlier in Ikebukuro in which a 23-year-old man stabbed eight people and killed two.

The offence

On September 29, 1999, at around 4:25 pm, Uwabe, who was still working in the transportation industry, drove a rented car into the east entrance of Shimonoseki Station. He drove through the first platform floor and hit at least seven people, two of whom died at the scene.

As the car became stuck, Uwabe got out of the car and proceeded up to the second platform on the second floor, brandishing a knife. He stabbed a further seven people. Local police overpowered him and arrested him at the scene.

Uwabe killed five people and injured 10 others during the rampage.

Investigation

After the arrest, Uwabe made statements about his actions. He said: "No matter what [he] did, it never turned out well, which made [him] bitter toward society". He also stated that he decided to use a car in order to "kill more people".

In his statements during the trial, Uwabe said that he carried out the attack ''on God's orders'' and as ''revenge on humankind.''

Arrest

Uwabe was apprehended at the scene immediately after police overpowered him on the second platform.

Trial

Uwabe was judged by the Yamaguchi District Court. The court found him guilty of all charges.

The Supreme Court later upheld the death penalty, describing the attack as indiscriminate and extremely atrocious. In that later decision, Justice Isao Imai rejected the defense counsel’s argument that the defendant was insane at the time of the rampage. The judge said: "The defendant, under thorough preparations and a firm will to kill, staged an indiscriminate attack on innocent people at the station that is extremely atrocious".

At trial, Yasuaki Uwabe was found guilty of murder by the Shimonoseki Branch of the Yamaguchi District Court. The court dismissed his defense team's contention that he was not criminally liable because he was not mentally competent at the time of the crime on Sept. 29, 1999.

Two psychiatric reports about whether Uwabe was criminally responsible for his actions were submitted. The first psychiatric report, supported by the defense, said he was in a state of diminished responsibility. The court adopted the second report, which said that although he suffers from a personality disorder, he was criminally responsible.

The prosecutors demanded the death penalty, stating that Uwabe was responsible for his actions.

Presiding Judge Masao Namiki made a sentencing remark. He said: "The act was intentional and was one of the most savage crimes in criminal history. There are no extenuating circumstances."

During the ruling, the court stated that Uwabe crashed a rented car into JR Shimonoseki Station at around 4:25 p.m. on Sept. 29, 1999 after taking 120 sleeping pills. The court stated he hit seven people on the road outside with the car and then attacked eight other people there with an 18-centimeter kitchen knife. Three people died immediately and two others afterward.

The defense argued about one death: the cause of death of a 45-year-old woman who died in November 1999 was said to be a chronic illness. The defense claimed the charge should be attempted murder, but the court also dismissed this claim.

Sentencing

A district court sentenced Uwabe to death on September 20, 2002, dismissing an insanity plea by the defense. This was after the Shimonoseki Branch of the Yamaguchi District Court found him guilty of murder.

Appeals

The Supreme Court upheld the death penalty on Friday, July 11, 2008. The top court’s second petty bench turned down an appeal filed by Uwabe. Justice Isao Imai rejected the defense counsel’s argument that the defendant was insane at the time of the rampage, and the decision described the attack as indiscriminate and extremely atrocious.

Outcome

Uwabe was sentenced to death and was executed by hanging on March 29, 2012.

Aftermath

International responses to the executions included condemnation and protest by Amnesty International and the Japan Federation of Bar Associations. The Minister of Justice Toshio Ogawa said: “Today, three executions were carried out,” and “I have carried out my duty as a justice minister as stipulated by law.” Ogawa also said: “Punishments for crimes are decided by the public,” referring to Japan’s use of capital punishment.

On the day of the executions, reports described that Japan resumed its use of capital punishment after a 20-month break, and that the hangings were carried out on the orders of Japanese Minister of Justice Toshio Ogawa. The reports stated that 132 people remained on death row following the executions.

Separate reports also described other executed inmates as multiple murderers and included details about their cases, including Tomoyuki Furusawa and Yasutoshi Matsuda.

Timeline

• September 24, 1999 — Uwabe’s truck was lost in a flood due to a typhoon and his loan was recalled.
• June 1999 — Uwabe got a divorce.
• September 29, 1999 — Uwabe drove a rented car into Shimonoseki Station at around 4:25 p.m., hit at least seven people, and stabbed further victims with a knife; he was overpowered and arrested at the scene.
• November 1999 — A 45-year-old woman who had been involved in the rampage died; the defense argued her death was due to a chronic illness.
• September 20, 2002 — A district court sentenced Uwabe to death.
• July 11, 2008 — The Supreme Court upheld the death penalty and rejected the appeal.
• March 29, 2012 — Uwabe was executed by hanging.

Other details

Uwabe was described in different reports with different ages: 35 at the time of the Shimonoseki Station massacre, and 38 and 44 in other trial and appeal-related reporting.