From Mainichi
http://mdn.mainichi.co.jp/news/20040726p2a00m0dm010001c.html

Moral of the story: it's okay to kill your child if you were
irrationally emotional (and we all know apoligizing helps).

John W.
 


NAGOYA -- A man who killed his pre-schooler son by ramming his head
into the floor was Monday sentenced to five years prison by the Nagoya
District Court.

Yu Nagaya, 26, was convicted for the murder of his 4-year-old son
Riku, but will serve only half a decade despite the court finding he
had acted with murderous intent.

"It was a rash crime springing from emotions let to run out of
control," Presiding Judge Yoji Ishiyama said, before explaining why
Nagaya escaped with such a lenient sentence. "The result of the crime
was significant, but it was accidental."

Ishiyama dismissed defense claims that Nagaya should be convicted for
the lesser crime of inflicting bodily injury resulting in death,
saying the extent of the boy's injuries contradicted his father's
claims that he had merely dropped the child to the floor.

Ishikawa also slammed Nagaya for lying to physicians about what he had
done to Riku.

Court records said Nagaya smashed Riku's head against their apartment
floor because the young boy would not stop crying on the night of Oct.
12 last year. (Mainichi Shimbun, July 26, 2004)