Father Demands Murder Charge for Man Who Survived Suicide Jump That Killed Daughter
A father in Japan is seeking a murder charge against a man who survived a suicide attempt that resulted in the death of his daughter.
A father in Japan is demanding a murder charge for the man whose suicide attempt from an 11th-floor apartment building resulted in the death of his daughter.
Tomoki Inaba, 23, was walking with a friend in Nagoya's Sakae district on July 19 when Shinsei Taguchi, 29, jumped from the building. Inaba was struck by Taguchi and, despite medical efforts, died hours later from hemorrhagic shock. Taguchi, however, survived the fall.
Taguchi was arrested in August on suspicion of gross negligence resulting in death after being discharged from the hospital. He is currently undergoing psychiatric evaluation to determine his criminal responsibility.
Kenji Inaba, the victim's father, has expressed his belief that Taguchi should be charged with murder. According to Inaba, he has met with Taguchi three times in detention, during which Taguchi allegedly admitted he knew his jump could harm someone. "He told me, 'I'm sorry for what happened to your precious daughter,' but honestly, anyone could say that," Kenji Inaba told TV Asahi. "I asked him, 'You jumped thinking you didn't care if there were people below, or if they lived or died, right?' And he replied, 'Yes, that's right.' He jumped without caring if he took someone with him. I absolutely cannot accept this being brushed off as an accident."
Inaba is urging prosecutors to upgrade the charge to murder, arguing that Taguchi was aware of the risks of jumping from a high-rise onto a busy street and therefore understood the potential to kill someone. The family also wants investigators to examine Taguchi's claim of having no memory of the incident.
A petition started by the grieving father has garnered over 45,000 signatures. It states that even if Taguchi intended to end his own life, he should have recognized that jumping from a high-rise in a busy entertainment district could result in striking and killing someone below. The petition asserts that such conduct, which endangers innocent bystanders, should not be ignored and calls for the justice system to acknowledge the gravity of a human life.