Overview
- On Monday, July 13, 2026, 19-year-old Yuto Kawaguchi and a 17-year-old defendant told the Sapporo District Court they accept the charges in the case over the October 2024 beating and robbery of university student Tomoya Hase.
- Prosecutors say the group beat Hase in an Ebetsu park on October 25–26, 2024, stole his cash and cards, forced him to give PINs, and caused his death by external traumatic shock.
- Kawaguchi, who was publicly named as a specified youth at indictment and has been described as a leader in the attack, apologized in court and acknowledged the accusations against him.
- With guilt no longer disputed, the trial will focus on sentencing, witness testimony, and defendant questioning, and the lay-judge panel is scheduled to hand down its verdict on August 7, 2026.
- Other related rulings include a first-instance 30-year prison term for Haon Kawamura that has been appealed and finalized district court sentences from June 25 that gave an 18-year-old 20 years and a 16-year-old 9–13 years, underscoring ongoing multi-track sentencing and appeals in the case.