An ultra-rightist pleaded guilty Monday to being involved in six acts of intimidation targeting North Korea-related organizations and other entities in 2002 and 2003.
During his first trial session at the Tokyo District Court, Takahiro Azabu, a former secretary to the head of an ultra-rightist group, admitted being involved in all six incidents, but claimed he was not aware that bullets used in the first two cases, which involved hate mail, in November 2002, were real.
Azabu, 39, was secretary to Ichiro Murakami, head of Token Tomonokai, which touts itself as being a "sword collector's group," but which is accused of being involved in 24 acts of harassment or attacks on North Korea-related organizations, politicians and other groups, including Aum Shinrikyo, between November 2002 and last November.