Noriaki Iwasa, a 40-year-old university student in Tokushima City, was accused of intimidation. He sent a threatening message to the office of a Mindan's office in Komatsushima City.
Judge Hirotoshi Hosobao sentenced him to 31 months in prison and four years of probation. Japan doesn't have a law governing hate crimes, but there have been incidents that appear to be based on discrimination and prejudice.. The murder of 8 residents at a facility for the mentally disabled in Sagamihara City seven years ago may also constitute a hate crime on the grounds of disability.