Prosecutors in Sapporo have appealed a 30-year prison sentence given to 21-year-old Kawamura Haon for the robbery and killing of a university student [1], [2].
The appeal challenges the lower court's assessment of the defendant's role in the crime, signaling a push for the maximum possible penalty in a case that shocked the Hokkaido region.
The case stems from an incident in October 2022 [1] at a park in Ebetsu City, where 20-year-old Takuya Hase died following a robbery and assault [1]. The Sapporo District Court originally sentenced Kawamura to 30 years in prison [2]. This decision followed a trial that examined the level of cooperation between multiple perpetrators.
The court noted that the frequency of the assault carried out by Kawamura was limited compared to other accomplices [3]. Because of this limited involvement, the court opted for a fixed term rather than the life sentence requested by the prosecution [2].
However, the Sapporo District Public Prosecutors Office filed an appeal on June 25, 2026, the same day the original sentence was handed down [1]. Prosecutors said the 30-year term is too lenient given the severity of the robbery-homicide. They are now seeking a sentence of life imprisonment [2].
During the original proceedings, the presiding judge told the defendant to think about how to make amends for the crime [2]. The prosecution said from the start that the gravity of the crime warranted the harshest penalty, regardless of the specific frequency of the violence inflicted by the individual defendant [2].
Reports on the number of accomplices vary, with some sources stating Kawamura conspired with five others and some indicating a group of six people carried out the assault [3], [4].
“Prosecutors are now seeking a sentence of life imprisonment.”
This appeal highlights a legal tension between individual culpability and collective responsibility in group crimes. While the district court focused on the specific degree of Kawamura's physical violence to justify a 30-year term, the prosecution argues that the outcome—the death of a 20-year-old—demands a life sentence regardless of the internal hierarchy of the assault. The higher court's eventual ruling will determine whether the 'limited' nature of a defendant's participation can mitigate a sentence in a robbery-homicide case.
