The Tokyo High Court upheld a 1997 lower court ruling...

The Tokyo High Court upheld a 1997 lower court ruling that sentenced Tsutomu Miyazaki, a former printing shop assistant, to death for the murder of four girls in 1988-1989 in Tokyo and the neighboring Saitama Prefecture.Presiding Judge Yoshimasa Kawabe ruled that Miyazaki, 38, was criminally responsible for the abductions and murders of the girls, aged between 4 and 7, which were committed over an 11-month period. The defense lawyers said they are planning to appeal the ruling to the Supreme Court because the high court ignored new evidence suggesting that Miyazaki was suffering from schizophrenia.