Tomohiro Kato was mentally ill and lacked the ability to control his actions when he murdered seven people and wounded 10 others on the streets of the Akihabara electronic district in 2008, defense attorneys told the Tokyo District Court on Wednesday, hoping to keep their client off death row.
"Right now, I regret and feel sorry for having committed the crime," Kato told the court at the conclusion of his trial. "I apologize to the bereaved families and the victims."
Prosecutors have demanded the death penalty for Kato, whom they argue was mentally sound and thus fully accountable for his actions. Kato owned up to the killings when the trial began in January 2010. The court is scheduled to hand down its verdict on March 24.