Photo/Illutration Rikuto Nagata, center, was arrested on Jan. 22, 2023, in connection with a series of violent home break-ins in four prefectures. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

A Tokyo court handed a life prison sentence to a 23-year-old man for leading a series of home break-ins across four prefectures that shook the nation because of the extreme violence used.

Rikuto Nagata was accused of acting at the behest of a shady individual in the Philippines to lead targeted robberies in which an elderly woman was beaten to death.

The home invasions occurred between November 2022 and January 2023, according to the Nov. 7 ruling by the Tokyo District Court.

The most shocking incident was in January 2023 when Nagata and his accomplices broke into a house in Komae, western Tokyo.

Nagata and his thugs brutally assaulted a 90-year-old woman, causing her death, and made off with three luxury watches and a diamond ring worth approximately 590,000 yen ($3,800).

The court found that Nagata and his gang repeatedly struck the woman with a crowbar, causing more than 20 fractures.

The presiding judge condemned the assault “as an extremely cruel crime that could be called torture.”

While acknowledging Nagata’s remorse, the court ruled that a life sentence was appropriate due to the gravity of his crimes and his role as ringleader.

Nagata and the others were recruited through social media by masterminds overseas who operated under pseudonyms like “Luffy” and “Kim.”

The bosses were held in a detention facility in the Philippines at the time. Yet, they directed the gang’s activities in real-time during the break-ins using an encrypted calling app.

Four men, suspected to be the masterminds, were deported to Japan where they were arrested on arrival to face murder and other charges.

GAMBLING DEBT

Nagata was working as a construction worker in Ishikawa Prefecture when he was recruited. He confessed in court that he had become addicted to boat racing and borrowed money from loan sharks to fund his gambling habit.　

In November 2022, desperate for money, he responded to a social media post advertising high-paying part-time work, which led to his involvement in the vicious crime spree.

Nagata described his troubled upbringing, explaining that he grew up in a household where drug use was common. He also stated that he had felt no hesitation or moral objection to stealing.

He initially admired one of the crime ring’s leaders, Kim, praising him for being calm and knowledgeable about criminal activities, in contrast to the more volatile Luffy, who often shouted.

However, he stated in court that he no longer held any admiration or resentment for either of them.

During the trial, the defendant recounted the horrific details of the robbery in Komae.

Nagata described how, at his instruction, his accomplices repeatedly struck the woman with a crowbar to force her to reveal the location of her money.

When the woman was unable to provide the information, Nagata sent a photo of the injured woman to Kim, who responded with a laugh, saying, “Oops, we got the wrong person.”

“To harm an ordinary person is inhuman,” said the defendant as he expressed deep remorse for his actions. “I’m nothing but a wicked piece of trash. I felt like my existence had ended.”

He also apologized to a man he assaulted in Hiroshima, who was left with a permanent disability.

“I have no words. All I can say is I’m sorry,” Nagata said.

He pleaded with the jurors to impose the harshest possible sentence, but also stated that he would choose a different life if he could start over.

In delivering the sentence, the judge urged Nagata to reflect on the gravity of his crimes and what he can do to atone for them while serving his prison term.

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