The Supreme Court has ordered two defense lawyers to attend an April 18 session on an appeal by prosecutors seeking the death penalty for a man sentenced a man to life for killing a woman and her 11-month-old daughter in 1999, court sources said Friday.
The four-judge No. 3 Petty Bench of the top court issued the order Wednesday, one day after defense attorneys Yoshihiro Yasuda and Shuichi Adachi angered relatives of the victims by skipping a session.
The two lawyers faxed the court claiming they could not attend because they needed more time to prepare and because they were busy with previously scheduled events organized by the Japan Federation of Bar Associations.