Overview
- Opening statements outlined a circumstantial case citing DNA from a cigarette butt near the scene, gunfire-related micro-particles on a motorcycle grip, and car-tracing that led from about 39,616 similar vehicles to one owned by the defendant’s childhood friend.
- The defense rejected the charges and said it will seek to establish an alibi placing Tanaka Yukio in Fukuoka at the time of the 2013 shooting.
- Prosecutors acknowledged there is no direct proof identifying the shooter and emphasized converging investigative routes that independently pointed to the defendant.
- Court operations featured tight security including metal detectors, body checks, bulletproof partitions, restrictions on personal pens, and the defendant’s arrival in an armored vehicle.
- Proceedings briefly recessed after a woman believed to be a family member shouted at the defendant, and the court scheduled a verdict for October 16, 2026.