Junko Ogata
Encyclopedia
is a Japanese
Japanese people
The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...

 woman who acted as an accomplice to serial killer
Serial killer
A serial killer, as typically defined, is an individual who has murdered three or more people over a period of more than a month, with down time between the murders, and whose motivation for killing is usually based on psychological gratification...

 Futoshi Matsunaga
Futoshi Matsunaga
is a Japanese serial killer who both defrauded and tortured his victims. He was convicted of six murders and one manslaughter, including two children, between the years 1996 and 1998. He murdered his victims with an accomplice, Junko Ogata....

.

Early life and murders

Ogata was born on Kurume
Kurume, Fukuoka
is a city located in Fukuoka prefecture, Japan.The city has an estimated population of 303,277 and a population density of 1,319.51 persons per km²...

, Fukuoka Prefecture
Fukuoka Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located on Kyūshū Island. The capital is the city of Fukuoka.- History :Fukuoka Prefecture includes the former provinces of Chikugo, Chikuzen, and Buzen....

, and grew up in a wealthy family. She was Matsunaga's schoolmate in high school, but she did not know him very well, and he transferred to another school. She was originally a gentle person and got a job in a preschool, but changed after she started dating Matsunaga in 1982. Ogata had remained a virgin until she became involved with Matsunaga, but he suspected her of having relationships with other men. During their relationship, she and Matsunaga had two sons.

Matsunaga abused
Domestic violence
Domestic violence, also known as domestic abuse, spousal abuse, battering, family violence, and intimate partner violence , is broadly defined as a pattern of abusive behaviors by one or both partners in an intimate relationship such as marriage, dating, family, or cohabitation...

 her severely. He insisted that Junko's mother tried to seduce him, so he abused her, but during the trial Junko began to suspect that Matsunaga had raped her mother. He eventually recruited her in his murder spree. She became cruel under his influence. Matsunaga and Ogata killed at least seven people between 1996 and 1998. Their victims included her parents and two children, Ogata's nephew and niece.

Arrest and trial

Ogata was arrested in March 2002. Japanese writer Masayoshi Toyoda
Masayoshi Toyoda
is Japanese journalist and writer. In 1995, he also became the founder of the Japanese men's liberation organization Men's Lib Tokyo.After his graduation from Waseda University, he went to New York and worked as a reporter. He wrote books about domestic violence and child abuse in Japan...

 supported her, and created doubt about the trial in his book published in November 2005. When he first tried to meet with her he was not allowed because she was a murderer, but he was eventually allowed to meet her on September 27, 2005.

Ogata was sentenced to die in a Fukuoka district court on September 28, 2005, a sentence she appeal
Appeal
An appeal is a petition for review of a case that has been decided by a court of law. The petition is made to a higher court for the purpose of overturning the lower court's decision....

ed on October 11. The court tried six murders, and her father's death was regarded as manslaughter
Manslaughter
Manslaughter is a legal term for the killing of a human being, in a manner considered by law as less culpable than murder. The distinction between murder and manslaughter is said to have first been made by the Ancient Athenian lawmaker Dracon in the 7th century BC.The law generally differentiates...

. On September 26, 2007, the high court in Fukuoka sentenced her to life in prison, rejecting the death penalty. Prosecutors appealed, seeking capital punishment.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK