Norio Nagayama
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| Norio Nagayama | |
|---|---|
| Birth name: | Norio Nagayama |
| Born: | June 27, 1949 Abashiri, Hokkaidō, Japan |
| Died: | August 1, 1997 (aged 48) |
| Cause of death: | hanging |
| Penalty: | Death |
| Killings | |
| Number of victims: | 4 |
| Span of killings: | October 11, 1968 through November 5, 1968 |
| Country: | Japan |
| State(s): | Tokyo, Kyoto, Hokkaidō, Aichi |
| Date apprehended: | April 7, 1969 |
Norio Nagayama (永山 則夫 Nagayama Norio?, June 27, 1949 - August 1, 1997) was a Japanese serial killer and novelist.
Contents |
[edit] Biography
Nagayama was born in Abashiri, Hokkaidō and grew up in the broken home. He came to Tokyo in 1965, and saw the shooting rampage by Misao Katagiri while working in Shibuya. He killed four people with a handgun between October 11 and November 5, 1968. He robbed last two victims of 16,420 yen. He was arrested on April 7, 1969. When he was arrested, he was 19 years old, so he was regarded as a junior under the Japanese law.
The District Court sentenced him to death in 1979. The high court overturned the original sentence and sentenced him to life imprisonment in 1981. The Supreme Court reversed the trials to the high court in 1983. The high court sentenced him to death in 1987. The Supreme Court upheld his death sentence in 1990.
In prison, Nagayama wrote many novels and became a rather public figure. His works began from Tears of Ignorance (無知の涙 Muchi no Namida?) in 1971. In 1983, he was awarded a prize for a novel Wooden Bridge (木橋 Kibashi?). Despite his success as a writer, Japanese writers disputed about his status because he was a prisoner. He was rejected by Japan Writers' Association, but it was acknowledged in Germany that he was a writer.
His execution was disputed until his death. However, he was suddenly executed on August 1, 1997. His execution was only 34 days after Sakakibara Seito was arrested on June 28, 1997. Japan seemed to make him an example.[1] His funeral was performed secretly. Ryuzo Saki attended his funeral though few writers attended his funeral.
[edit] Victims
- Masanori Nakamura (中村公紀, Nakamura Masanori)
- Tomejiro Katsumi (勝見留次郎, Katsumi Rujiro)
- Tetsuhiko Saito (斎藤哲彦, Saito Tetsuhiko)
- Masaaki Ito (伊藤正明, Ito Masaaki)
[edit] Works
- Muchi no Namida (無知の涙? 1971)
- Aika Muka (愛か無か? 1973)
- Kibashi (木橋? 1984)
- Sooren no Tabigeinin (ソオ連の旅芸人? 1986)
- Sutego Gokko (捨て子ごっこ? 1987)
- Shikei no Namida (死刑の涙? 1988)
- Nazeka Umi (なぜか 海? 1989)
- Isui (異水? 1990)
- Hana (華? 1997)
[edit] References
- ^ Japan Hanging on to Death Penalty (English). South Asia Human Rights Documentation Centre (2003-04-23). Retrieved on 2007-12-30.
