TOKYO: DEATH SENTENCE APPEAL FAILS

the Japanese Supreme Court upheld the death sentence of Hiroshi Zoda, 31, for murdering two and injuring six others in a rampage on a street in Tokyo's Ikebukuro district on September 8, 1999. Presiding Justice Kazuko Yokoo called Zoda's acts "cruel, coldhearted and brutal." He randomly attacked the passers-by with a kitchen knife and a hammer in broad daylight. Two women, one 66 and the other 29, died. Zoda had been disgruntled with society, according to lower court rulings. His defense pleaded not guilty, insisting he was mentally incapable of taking criminal responsibility for his actions.