Sapporo, Aug. 7 (Jiji Press)--Sapporo District Court on Friday sentenced a man to life imprisonment for his role in a high-profile group assault case in the northern Japan prefecture of Hokkaido in 2024. The life sentence for Yuto Kawaguchi, who was 18 years old at the time of the incident, was in line with the prosecution's demand. In the same case, the court also sentenced another man, who was a 17-year-old minor at the time, to 30 years in prison, as requested by the prosecution. Presiding Judge Masaki Takasugi acknowledged that Kawaguchi led the fatal assault of Tomoya Hase, a 20-year-old university student at the time, at a park in the Hokkaido city of Ebetsu from Oct. 25 to 26, 2024. According to the ruling, Kawaguchi and the then minor conspired with four others to assault Hase and steal his cash and credit card. Hase died from traumatic shock. Six individuals were indicted in the case. The court has sentenced five of them, including Kawaguchi and the then minor. The sentencing for the remaining defendant, Ama Yagihara, 21, has not yet been scheduled. The incident was triggered by relationship problems between Hase and Yagihara. In handing down Friday's ruling, the judge condemned Kawaguchi for not only initiating the attack and demanding money and other items, but involving accomplices in the assault, proposing horrible acts, such as stripping the victim naked and setting fire to his hair, and escalating the violence. Meanwhile, the judge noted that the then minor assaulted the victim second most only to Kawaguchi, and concluded that, although he did not lead the attack, he must bear significant responsibility. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]