The Nagoya High Court on Monday upheld a man's 30-year prison sentence for killing two members of his family and wounding three others in Toyokawa, Aichi Prefecture, in April 2010.
The focus of the appeals trial was on whether Takayuki Iwase, 32, who had withdrawn from social life for about 15 years and was determined by a lower court to be mentally disabled and autistic, was competent to be held culpable and had murderous intent.
Presiding Judge Hideki Shibata declared the defendant "was not too confused to understand the hazardous nature of his acts," endorsing the Nagoya District Court ruling on both points.
Iwase was convicted of fatally stabbing his 58-year-old father and 1-year-old niece and wounding three other family members before setting fire to a blanket at their home on April 17, 2010.