A 19-year-old was sentenced to life in prison Thursday for his role in the lynching of a company employee in a Tochigi Prefecture forest in December.
In the ruling, the Utsunomiya District Court also condemned the police for handling the case in a way that triggered the murder.
The parents of the victim, Masakazu Sudo, also 19, of the town of Kaminokawa, have accused Tochigi Prefectural Police of ignoring their repeated requests for an investigation when their son disappeared.
Tochigi police have compiled a report admitting negligence in the case. The parents have refused to accept an apology offered by police officials over the case.