Japan's Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and other...

Japan's Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and other ministers said that Mamoru Takuma, who murdered eight children and injured 13 others and two teachers in a stabbing frenzy at an Osaka elementary school, deserved the death penalty he was given by the Osaka District Court. Koizumi told reporters at his office, "I think the sentence stands to reason. Given the inhumanity of Takuma's actions, I can only feel sorry for those children who died. The families of the victims and those injured must still be grieving." Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda said in a news conference, "We should take measures to try to prevent such incidents from happening again," adding, "It was such a tragic incident and I pray for the victims."