The Tokyo High Court on Thursday upheld the death penalty for Tsutomu Miyazaki, 38, for the abduction and murder of four girls in a 1988-1989 serial killing spree that shocked the nation.

The decision supports a 1997 ruling by the Tokyo District Court that found Miyazaki, a former print shop worker, guilty of slaying the four girls, between 4 and 7 years old, and mutilating their bodies in Tokyo and Saitama prefectures.

His lawyers said they plan to appeal the ruling to the Supreme Court, citing the high court's failure to accept their demands for additional psychiatric tests on their client.