Yuji Nishizawa

Yuji Nishizawa, 34, was found guilty by The Tokyo District Court of hijacking the Boeing 747 during a domestic flight in July 1999 and stabbing Naoyuki Nagashima, 51, before briefly taking control of the plane.

Prosecutors had demanded a life sentence.

"The hijacking incident was a dangerous and vicious crime unprecedented in Japanese criminal history. It damaged public trust in the safe operation of aircraft," said Presiding Judge Hisaharu Yasui.

The central argument in the trial was whether Nishizawa was psychologically fit at the time to have been responsible for his actions.

The judge decided that Nishizawa, who was taking antidepressant drugs at the time of the crime, could only be held partly responsible.

The Japan Times Weekly: April 2, 2005
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