The Tokyo District Court on July 15 sentenced a 44-year-old man to 16 years in prison for stabbing a woman at least 55 times during a livestream in March last year.
The Tokyo District Court found Kenichi Takano guilty of murdering 22-year-old Airi Sato in the Takadanobaba district of Shinjuku Ward. Prosecutors had sought a 20-year term while the defense argued for nine years.
Presiding Judge Shunichi Ido noted that Takano picked up Sato’s still-livestreaming phone and said, “Is she dead?” The court took into account Takano’s belief that Sato had fraudulently induced him to lend her money.
Takano met Sato via a livestreaming app in December 2021 and lent her about 2.55 million yen over two months. She repaid only 30,000 yen, and a court repayment order went unfulfilled.