Brushing aside mounting criticism, a Tokyo publisher has defended its decision to release a controversial autobiography penned by a former teenage serial killer, billing it as helpful to elucidate — and even deter — heinous juvenile crimes in society.
Since the release of the autobiography last week, Ota Publishing Co. has faced a "massive" backlash from the public, the company admitted in a statement released Wednesday.
Many critics said the book was an insensitive affront to efforts by the bereaved families to move on from the serial murders committed by the author in Kobe in 1997, according to the publisher.