Prosecutors on Thursday demanded the death penalty for a dog breeder and his former wife accused of murdering four of their clients.
Gen Sekine, 58, is accused of murdering the four people, including company executive Akio Kawasaki, 39, of Gyoda, Saitama Prefecture, in 1993. The prosecutors said Kawasaki was killed following a dispute over money with Sekine over the sale of an expensive dog.
Prosecutors also demanded the death penalty for Hiroko Kazama, 43, a pet shop owner and Sekine's former wife, for the murder of Kawasaki and two others.
"There is no room for leniency toward the accused, whose criminal nature is beyond the possibility of correction," the prosecutors told the court.