A Tokyo court sentenced a former senior government official to six years in prison on Monday for fatally stabbing his socially reclusive son with a kitchen knife.
The Tokyo District Court found Hideaki Kumazawa, 76, a former vice minister of agriculture, forestry and fisheries, guilty of repeatedly stabbing his son Eiichiro, then 44, in the neck and chest at his home in Tokyo in June. The son died from massive blood loss.
Kumazawa, who immediately called police and admitted to the killing, pleaded guilty to the crime during the trial.
In the closing court session on Friday, Kumazawa said, "It is my duty to pay for the crime and pray for my son so he can pave a peaceful time in his afterlife."
The case and the earlier attack in Kawasaki highlighted growing concerns about "hikikomori."