A 21-year-old man was sentenced to life in prison Wednesday for the murder of a 26-year-old teacher last June.
In an unusual move, presiding Judge Masanori Tsunoda of the Osaka District Court said authorities should be "cautious" in granting parole to Shoichiro Kameyama of Nagasaki Prefecture.
Many convicts given a life term are granted parole after serving roughly 20 years in prison.
Kameyama killed Aiko Manabe, an Italian-language teacher, in her apartment in Yodogawa Ward, Osaka, on June 5.