A 73-year-old Japanese man, who was sentenced to life in prison last week for trying to smuggle drugs into Indonesia, has decided not to appeal out of fear he might get the death penalty at a higher court, his lawyer said late Wednesday.

Last week, the Pariaman District Court in the town of Pariaman in West Sumatra Province sentenced Masaru Kawada to life behind bars after finding him guilty of trafficking 2.35 kg of methamphetamine into the country.

The sentence was heavier than the 16-year prison term demanded by government prosecutors. Soon after the verdict was read out, Kawada, from Aichi Prefecture, said he would appeal.