Prosecutors on Friday demanded life imprisonment for a Chinese man accused of killing two people and wounding seven others at an oyster processing plant in Hiroshima Prefecture in March 2013.
Chen Shuangxi, 32, was a frustrated trainee at Kawaguchi Suisan in Etajima when he allegedly stabbed President Nobuyuki Kawaguchi, 55, to death and fatally beat employee Masako Hashishita, 68, with a shovel. He is also charged with injuring six other employees and a passer-by.
In their closing arguments at the Hiroshima District Court, the prosecutors termed Chen's act as short-sighted and selfish but said he should not be hanged for his acts because he felt isolated because of the language barrier.
His defense counsel sought a fixed jail term, saying the notorious state-backed technical training program for foreigners was flawed and could not ensure proper working conditions.
"The lack of psychological care increased stress on the accused, causing him to commit a crime on impulse," his lawyer said.
A panel of three professional and six citizen judges will hand down its decision on March 13.
The accused, who refused to attend the first hearing of his trial in January, was ordered to leave the court for making irregular remarks during later hearings.