WORLD : Charge in Nagasaki Murder Try
A member of a right-wing group was charged today with attempted murder in the shooting last month of the mayor of Nagasaki, prosecutors said.
The victim, Hitoshi Motoshima, had received death threats for more than a year after saying that the late Emperor Hirohito bore some responsibility for Japan’s involvement in World War II.
Police said Kazumi Tajiri, 40, told investigators he “couldn’t condone” the mayor’s comments about Hirohito and intended to punish Motoshima, not kill him.
The 67-year-old mayor is in fair condition in a hospital.
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