The second trial in Fukuoka revoked the first trial's death sentence and sentenced the head of the organization, who was accused of murder and other crimes, to life imprisonment in four cases in which the Kudo-kai, a designated dangerous organized crime group in Kitakyushu City, attacked citizens. Dissatisfied with the High Court's ruling, the prosecution filed an appeal to the Supreme Court on the 26th.
Satoru Nomura (77), the top leader and president of the Kudo-kai, a designated dangerous organized crime group in Kitakyushu City, and Fumio Tagami (67), the number two and chairman, committed crimes in Fukuoka Prefecture from 1998 to 2014. He was charged with murder and attempted systematic murder for his involvement in four incidents, including shooting and killing the former head of a fishing cooperative, as well as attacking three people, including a nurse and a dentist, with guns and knives.
The Fukuoka District Court in the first instance recognized Nomura as the ringleader in all four cases and sentenced him to the death penalty, but the Fukuoka High Court in the second instance ruled on the 12th of this month that the former head of the fishing cooperative was murdered. The court acquitted Nomura of the crime, stating that there was no collusion with the perpetrators, and admitted to conspiracy in the other three cases, and sentenced Nomura to life in prison.
Furthermore, defendant Tagami's appeal was dismissed and he was sentenced to life in prison following the first trial.
Dissatisfied with this ruling, the Fukuoka High Public Prosecutors Office filed an appeal with the Supreme Court against the two defendants on the 26th.
Deputy Chief Public Prosecutor Takashi Koike of the Fukuoka High Public Prosecutors Office commented, ``After carefully considering the contents of the sentence, we determined that he violated precedent.''
Meanwhile, defense attorneys for defendants Nomura and Tagami have already appealed the verdict.