Japan: Joker Copycat’s Handed 23-Year Sentence by Court for Tokyo Train Terror – News18

A Japanese court has handed down a 23-year jail sentence to Kyota Hattori, a 26-year-old man convicted of attempted murder and arson on a train in Tokyo. The crime dates back to Halloween in 2021, when Hattori, donning the guise of the comic book villain, the Joker, unleashed terror on the passengers aboard the train.

Hattori committed the gruesome act by stabbing a male passenger in his 70s and then attempting to take the lives of 12 others by igniting a fire inside the train, according to local media.

The setting of the crime, a train, and the accused’s donning of a “Joker” costume at the age of 24, drew significant global attention. Comparisons to a scene from a New York subway car in the movie “Joker” have been made, suggesting a potential copycat crime.

Earlier, multiple reports had emerged that the accused had allegedly revealed to interrogators his admiration for the Joker character and expressed a desire to cause harm to as many people as possible.

When Hattori was caught, he admitted to using lighter fluid in the attack and even expressed his desire to be given the death penalty for his heinous actions. The verdict was handed down by the Tokyo District Court’s Tachikawa branch, as confirmed by a court spokesperson to AFP.

Violent crimes are rare in Japan, known for its low crime rate, but the incident shed light on occasional incidents of stabbings and shootings. Last year, former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was assassinated, an incident that rattled the country.

In August 2021, a stabbing attack on a Tokyo commuter train left nine people injured, one severely. During the same month, two individuals suffered burns in an acid attack at a Tokyo subway station.

(Witha agency inputs)