TOP COURT REJECTS APPEAL OVER 3 MURDERS, FINALISING DEATH PENALTY

the Japanese Supreme Court dismissed an appeal by a 42 year old man sentenced to death for murdering the parents of his estranged wife and his 12 year old stepson in Yokohama in 2002, finalising his penalty. In handing down the ruling to Tomoyuki Furusawa, Presiding Justice Tatsuo Kainaka said the defendant killed the three, who were totally blameless, simply because he thought they might hinder his plan to take away his wife Masako who was seeking to divorce him and staying at her parents' home at that time. ''The defendant stabbed the victims one by one with a knife as they tried to run away, and the act was extremely heinous,'' Kainaka said. ''Even taking into consideration that he has shown some remorse, the death penalty is the only option.'' According to rulings given by the Yokohama District Court and the Tokyo High Court, Furusawa stabbed to death his wife's parents Masayoshi Ujigawa, 71, and Fumiko, 63, and his stepson Yuki in the predawn hours of July 31, 2002, at their house in Yokohama after breaking in. He also forced Masako into a car, drove to Toyama Prefecture and beat her in the face, according to the rulings.