A 34-year-old man was sentenced to 15 years in prison Thursday for fatally stabbing the manager of a convenience store in JR Tokyo Station after the victim chased him down for shoplifting.

The Tokyo District Court ruled that Hidekazu Omori, a former plumber, had clearly intended to kill Masahiko Okeda, 33, manager of the Sandynu Tokyo Center convenience store.

Presiding Judge Manabu Yamazaki said, "There are no extenuating circumstances for the defendant, who, while leading a derelict life of gambling and shoplifting food, considered his safety and freedom above another's life."