Mito mother admits killing two children; defence disputes criminal responsibility

Akiko Ota (太田亜紀子), 42, admitted the facts of murder charges involving her two children at the opening of her lay-judge trial in Mito District Court on October 14. The case concerns the deaths of her eight-year-old son and five-year-old daughter at the family's apartment in Mito in July 2023. The defence disputes her criminal responsibility because of mental illness, while prosecutors argue she was fully responsible. [ 1 , 2 , 4 , 5 , 8 ]

According to the indictment described by Sankei Shimbun, Tokyo Shimbun and Asahi Shimbun, the alleged killings occurred between about 11:55 p.m. on July 23 and 6:30 a.m. on July 24, 2023. Ota is accused of stabbing each child's neck once with a kitchen knife. Sankei Shimbun reported that she called the police herself on the morning of July 24 and that she also had a cut on her neck. [ 1 , 2 , 8 ]

Prosecutors said Ota suffered from depression but its influence did not substantially impair her responsibility, according to Tokyo Shimbun, Nippon TV and Asahi Shimbun. They described workplace difficulties and suicidal thinking, and argued that she believed her children could not live without her and that they could be together after death. These were arguments presented by the prosecution at the hearing. [ 2 , 5 , 8 ]

Asahi Shimbun reported that the defence argued Ota's illness had severely narrowed her thinking, leaving her convinced there was no way to save her children other than dying together. The defence argued mental incapacity or diminished capacity and sought acquittal or a reduced sentence. The newspaper said the trial would focus on the existence and degree of criminal responsibility, with the verdict scheduled for November 5. [ 8 ]