Japan's Joker assailant sentenced to 23 years in prison

Japan's infamous Joker assailant who attempted to kill and burn innocent people on a train in Tokyo has been sentenced to 23 years in prison.

Tokyo District Court's Tachikawa branch found 26-year-old Kyota Hattori guilty of attempted murder and starting a fire on the train, while dressed as DC comic book villain, the Joker.

The incident took place in October 2021, on the day of Halloween, at around 8 pm on a Keio Line train, heading to Shinjuku Station.Hattori boarded the train, dressed in a purple suit, green shirt and a tie, leading to him being called the Joker.

Add WION as a Preferred Source

Afterwards, he stabbed a passenger in his 70s whilst trying to kill 12 others by starting afire. While the stabbed man sustaineda critical condition, he survived and nobody died in the attack.

During a hearing last month, Hattori admitted to the stabbing and lighting thetrain carriage on fire, but denied the latter part of the indictment, saying there was no intent to murder when he lit up the coach.

“I don’t know if the arson can be considered attempted murder,” Hattori said.

Watch | Delhi: 16-year-old girl's murder caught on camera, accused arrested

At the time of his arrest, Hattori told the police that he "adores" the Joker character from the Batman films. He wanted to kill multiple people and receive the death penalty.Police said he made the plan to “stab and burn passengers on a crowded Halloween day on an express train that people couldn’t flee". He alsotold them he had spread lighter fluid on the train.

“He held a knife and started spreading liquid. He was committing this act without showing any emotion, just mechanically. I think that brought fear to everyone," one of the witnesses in the carriagesaid at the time.

Violent crimes in Japan

Violent crime is rare in Japan but Hattori's attack came a little more than a month after nine people were wounded in a similar train attack where the suspect handed himself to the police after fleeing the scene.

Earlier this month, another gruesome crime was reportedin the country's northern city of Sapporo where a headless body of a man was discovered in one of the 'love hotel' rooms.

The naked and headless body of the victim slumped in a bathtub, was found by one of the hotel workers.None of his belongings were found in the room and the bed appeared unused.

(With inputs from agencies)

WATCH WION LIVE HERE: