TOKYO (TR) – A 62-year-old man who evaded justice in the Philippines for three decades has pleaded guilty to a violent robbery committed at a game cafe in the capital in 1995, reports TV Asahi (June 10).
Appearing for his first trial hearing on Wednesday, Kunio Aihara admitted to the charges against him. He is accused of storming a game cafe in Ota Ward’s Kamata district in February 1995, where he stabbed the male manager in the right arm with a knife and made off with approximately 700,000 yen in cash.
During opening statements, prosecutors highlighted the brazen and dangerous nature of the attack. “It was a malicious crime in which the defendant entered the shop wearing a stocking over his head and threatened the manager by pressing a knife to his neck,” the prosecution stated.
While the defense team did not dispute the facts of the violent robbery, they argued for leniency, claiming Aihara only participated in the heist after being heavily persuaded by an accomplice.
Following the 1995 attack, Aihara fled to the Philippines, where he managed to live as a fugitive for 30 years. His time on the run finally came to an end last year when he was tracked down and deported back to Japan to face charges.
