Japan: Conviction upheld in assisted death.

Alex Schadenberg
Executive Director, Euthanasia Prevention Coalition

The Mainichi Japan news reported on March 13 that the 30 month sentence in the assisted death of a person with ALS has been upheld by the Osaka High Court. The report states:

Naoki Yamamoto, 47, was found guilty by the Kyoto District Court of conspiring with a fellow doctor to administer a lethal dose of a sedative to Yuri Hayashi, 51, in her Kyoto apartment on Nov. 30, 2019, at her request. ALS is a progressive neurological condition for which there is currently no cure or treatment.

The other doctor, Yoshikazu Okubo, 46, is currently appealing his 18-year prison sentence on the same charge.

Euthanasia is not legally recognized in Japan.

The presiding judge Yuko Tsuboi found that Yamamoto played a lesser role in the death but that he understood the nature of the crime. The report states:

Tsuboi also criticized Yamamoto for "showing an extreme disregard for human life," given that he accepted 1.3 million yen ($9,000) from Hayashi as a fee and carried out the crime shortly after their first meeting.

During the appeal, Yamamoto's defense continued to argue for an acquittal, claiming it was factually incorrect that he conspired with Okubo.

Yamamoto was previously convicted of murdering his 77-year-old father in 2011 by unspecified means, for which he has been sentenced to 13 years in prison.

Previous article on this story:

• Two Japanese doctors charged in the assisted death of a woman with ALS (Link).