Most major newspapers have published the name of a 19-year-old man who was indicted Friday in an alleged case of murder and arson in October — a first for them that follows revisions to various legislation that took effect April 1 to reflect the lowered age of adulthood from 20 to 18.
Yuki Endo, from Kofu, Yamanashi Prefecture, was indicted over the murder of a married couple in their 50s at their home in Kofu, an attack on their daughter and the burning down of their house. Their bodies were found in the gutted remains.
The Asahi Shimbun, Mainichi Shimbun, Yomiuri Shimbun, Sankei Shimbun and the Nikkei reported the man’s name in their Saturday editions. The only newspaper that withheld the suspect’s name was the Tokyo Shimbun, which cited the importance of supporting the rehabilitation of young offenders — 19-year-olds were deemed to be minors until April 1.
The disclosure became possible after the revision of the juvenile law, under which people age 18 and 19 are now categorized as “specified juveniles.”
Before the amendment, prosecutors had withheld the names of alleged offenders through the age of 19, since they were minors. Media outlets were also banned from publishing their names.
In February, the Supreme Public Prosecutors Office outlined the criteria under which it would disclose the names of suspects age 18 and 19, saying it would release the names of suspected offenders involved in “serious criminal cases with a severe impact on local communities” that are subjected to lay judge trials.
On Friday, prosecutors of the latest case explained their decision in line with the February announcement.
“This is a serious case in which the man killed two people and attempted to kill another one, and also set a house on fire, which has had a tremendous impact on the local community,” said Takayuki Okamoto, deputy chief prosecutor of the Kofu District Public Prosecutor’s Office. “We decided to make the name public considering various factors.”
Under the revised law, media outlets are now allowed to disclose the names and photographs of alleged offenders age 18 and 19 once they are indicted, but it is up to their own discretion whether to publish those things, reflecting their editorial stance.
Newspapers that published the name cited the significance of the case as the reason behind their decision. The Sankei Shimbun was the only one that published Endo’s photograph in addition to his name, saying it took into consideration the fact that the man has admitted to wrongdoing.
The local Yamanashi Nichinichi Shimbun also published the man’s name, based on “the magnitude of the impact the incident has had on the local community.” Kyodo News and TV broadcasters also reported the man’s name in their news coverage.
The defendant’s attorney expressed regret over the fact that his client’s name was disclosed despite a prior request that prosecutors refrain from doing so. The lawyer also asked media outlets to carefully consider their approach to publicizing information regarding the case so that the young man’s development and rehabilitation process are not unjustly hindered.
From here on, media outlets will need to decide on a case-by-case basis whether disclosing the names of offenders is appropriate and necessary, taking into consideration the severity of the case and its social impact.
“The purpose of reporting an offender’s name is to share the kinds of social problems that are there in society, but there may be some aspects of such reporting that could be detrimental,” says Kenji Takeuchi, a professor at the School of Law at Kyushu University, who specializes in juvenile law, adding that offenders may face difficulties in finding jobs given that names can now be easily searched on the internet.
“It is undeniable that the disclosure of their names may bring them some harm,” he added. “Media outlets will need to make a serious decision each time on whether they will publish the name or not, including whether it is worth reporting.”
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