A Japanese court sentenced a 36-year-old man to life in prison Monday over the 2024 murder of a volunteer probation officer in Shiga Prefecture ¡ª a case that sparked discussions on how to better ensure the safety of such officers.

A central focus in the trial of defendant Kohei Iitsuka had been whether he had the capacity to bear criminal responsibility for killing Hiroshi Shinjo, 60, while he was on probation for robbing a convenience store.

The Otsu District Court, in its verdict, sentenced him to an indefinite prison term in line with what the prosecution had sought.

According to the indictment, Iitsuka stabbed and slashed Shinjo to death with a knife and an ax during an interview conducted at the probation officer¡¯s house in the city of Otsu on the night of May 24, 2024.

Prosecutors said Iitsuka, who had difficulty holding a steady job, had started to think that the government was to blame for his employment troubles. He attempted to get revenge on the government by murdering the probation officer, which he saw as an attack on the country¡¯s probation system, they said.

Iitsuka pleaded guilty during the onset of his trial in February.

¡°I did it (the murder), following the voice of my guardian deity,¡± he told the court at the time.

He also apologized to the family members of the deceased in a subsequent court hearing.

¡°Committing that offense was the biggest mistake of my life,¡± he said then.

The defense had argued that Iitsuka was not mentally competent or that he had diminished capacity to bear criminal responsibility. His lawyers argued that there were prospects for him to be rehabilitated through proper treatment.

But prosecutors asked for an indefinite prison term, saying although the defendant was found to have autistic tendencies, those tendencies had a limited impact on him.

Volunteer probation officers are unpaid part-time national public servants who assist in the rehabilitation of offenders and juvenile delinquents.

According to the Justice Ministry, Japan had about 46,000 volunteer probation officers ¡ª whose average age was 65.4 ¡ª as of January last year. The officers regularly meet with people on probation and provide them with advice as well as assistance on life and work after their release from prison.

In a Justice Ministry survey of about 16,000 volunteer probation officers shortly after Shinjo¡¯s murder in 2024, about 10% responded that they ¡°feel anxious,¡± partly because their homes are often used as venues for interviews with probationers under their support. Some probation officers subsequently resigned or declined to accept new cases.

The ministry issued a notice in the same year asking local governments to offer probation officers more public venues to conduct interviews with probationers other than their homes.