Prosecutors on Wednesday sought a life sentence for an 18-year-old Romanian youth accused of murdering a woman on a street in Musashino, western Tokyo, last year.

The defendant has been charged with fatally stabbing Arisa Yamada, 22, and robbing her of around ¥10,000 on Feb. 28, 2013. A ruling is due to be handed down Tuesday.

At the day's trial session at the Tachikawa branch of the Tokyo District Court, the prosecutors said he had committed the offense against a passerby "to gain pocket money to play around with." The accused obviously intended to kill as he stabbed the victim from behind with such force that her chest arteries were damaged, they said.

But his defense lawyers denied the intention to kill and sought a sentence of five to 10 years in prison or a protective detention for minors.