Man arrested on suspicion of killing 10 stray cats

one flew over the cuckoo's nest. lock him up before he switch his interest to human.

Agreed! Lock up this sick wacko before he hurts another living soul.

Future serial killer in the making. This guy is ten different kinds of broken. It's truly unfortunate that Japan's mental healthcare system isn't even remotely equipped to to deal with him.

Stress. It's not stress. He's unhinged and should be locked up.

Please, please, please free society from the debilitating stigma attached to mental illness.

Another sick sob give him some stress in prison for a while...

A ticking time bomb....needs to be put away

We all know that this guy will not go to jail. He'll get checked out by a person with the title of doctor, be put on anti-depressants, sit at home, collect disability, become addicted to anti-depressants, and wind up a drug addict. I've seen it more times than I'd like. One good thing is that the media did put his picture all over the news.

It's truly unfortunate that Japan's mental healthcare system isn't even remotely equipped to to deal with him.

How do you know? Have you been a patient? Are you a practicing psychiatrist or clinical psychologist specializing in comparative mental health care systems?

Please, please, please free society from the debilitating stigma attached to mental illness.

How do you know there is a stigma in Japan not found elsewhere? Are you a practicing psychiatrist or clinical psychologist specializing in comparative mental health care systems?

Citations to serious comparative literature supporting you comments are most welcome. References to ethnic and national stereotypes are not welcome.

Similarly, do either of you have hard evidence that animal abuse of this type is peculiar to Japan or more common in Japan than other countries? I happen to be a cat lover and have seen stories of horrific abuse of cats from a number of countries but if you have evidence that Japan is really different, I am open to being convinced that it is.

To verify my assertion, do a Goggle search in English "set fire to cat."

He was quoted as saying he did it because he wanted to release his stress from work.

And when all the stray cats are gone, and he's still stressed? Watch out for your kids.

I wonder how stressed he would find it to have boiling water poured over him, and then have his head bashed in. Sick waste of space.

He will get all sorts of new "stress release" in prison!

Alot of comments here are saying lock him up before he kills people. You don't lock people up because you think they MIGHT commit a crime. The focus here should be on the poor animals he tortured and killed. Not only did he take their lives needlessly; he tortured them in a barbaric way. He should get 5 years for every cat he tortured and killed.

Best way to relieve stress here is to bash some golf balls at the driving range. It does no harm to anyone or anything.

@ SenseNotSoCommon Please, please, please free society from the debilitating stigma attached to mental illness.

Exactly!!! The first step to dealing with a issue is admitting there is one.

As for the cats poor things, i hope there is a special place in hell for people who harm animals and children.

sigh

Quite cruel and disturbing, but because this cruelty was inflicted on animals means his punishment will probably be light. However, some form of psychiatric evaluation and police record is clearly in order.

Right up there with the excuses of "I was drunk I don't remember anything" and "I was worried about raising my child".

Take up some boxing classes or something to vent out streets. Imagine when he got bored of killing cats, moving on to humans would of been likely.

I wonder want pathetic sentence he will get for this.

Right up there with the excuses of "I was drunk I don't remember anything"

How does this excuse the person from culpability?

@bullfighter, animal cruelty: just because it is not unique to Japan doesn't mean it isn't wrong. And, again, just because there is a stigma attached to mental health issues in other countries doesn't mean that a) it's not a serious issue here in Japan and b) it needs to be dealt with.

I have lived all over the world, and yes, both these things exist in many countries (not the least of which is Spain - where I lived for 12 years - which has a real problem with both mental health stigma and animal cruelty, like the cruelty referenced in your 'handle').

It's not scientific research but there seems to be a shocking lack of awareness of both mental health and animal rights here in Japan.

This guy is an escalating problem. Even if it is 'just' confined to the abuse and killing of animals, he needs to be dealt with and people need to be made aware of the problems.

Please let this man be allowed to 'release his stress' in a prison cell for a very, very long time. Stress release is no excuse for the killing of other living things. Better yet, allow others to use him as stress relief in prison for a very, very long time. Perhaps he'll finally realize, like so many stupid people here never do until it's too late, that such extreme actions for unjustifiable reasons will only land you in a much worse position.

It's tough working part time.

Who can torture and kill a cat, can kill a human as well. While death penalty is too much, he should never be let to walk free again.

Lowlife loser.

Another "stress from work" defense. The new "I was drunk".

Sometimes the extremely-old-style justice becomes really necessary. This is such a case. And I would apply it myself.

Speak of cruelty-----cats can be very savage, cruel beasts themselves. They specialize in the long,slow, tormenting to death of small animals and birds. Wild cats are an absolute menace to wildlife and are responsible for causing the extinction of numerous small animals---at least in Australia!

Just another day... I do think there are a considerable number of stray cats around. Spaying / neutering them should be done. Putting them down in a humane way is OK, I think, but this guy just plain sadistic. I'm a dog person, but I wouldn't intentionally harm a cat.

Strangerland: "How does this excuse the person from culpability?"

In Japan? Easy; just by saying it. Same thing if you hint at mental illness, which is why I thought maybe you would have jumped up to defend this guy and say he's innocent already.

Lest we forget, the woman who has been abusing kids in daycare just got a suspended sentence because the judge claimed she was doing it due to stress at work, so clearly even if they are found 'guilty' there is little to no punishment, and this excuse is going to be even more popular than the 'I was drunk' excuse so readily offered and accepted.

Dear @bullfighter, a) nobody said that the stigma about mental illness is unique to japan, instead the commenter said that its a problem that exists and should be dealt with , nothing more nothing less. B) again, nobody said that animal cruelty is attached only to Japan or more common there. Please stop being so sensitive, you're basically inventing things out of nowhere.

Bullfitter,

How do you know there is a stigma in Japan not found elsewhere? Are you a practicing psychiatrist or clinical psychologist specializing in comparative mental health care systems?

New to Japan, are we?

The aim of this study is to understand the nature and characteristics of mental-health-related stigma among Japanese people. We searched relevant studies in English or Japanese published since 2001 using MEDLINE and PsycINFO, and found 19 studies that examined mental-health-related stigma in Japan. Regarding knowledge about mental illness, reviewed studies showed that in the Japanese general population, few people think that people can recover from mental disorders. Psychosocial factors, including weakness of personality, are often considered the cause of mental illness, rather than biological factors. In addition, the majority of the general public in Japan keep a greater social distance from individuals with mental illness, especially in close personal relationships...

The literature also showed an association between more direct social contact between health professionals and individuals with mental illness and less stigmatization by these professionals. Less stigmatization by mental health professionals may be associated with accumulation of clinical experience and daily contact with people who have mental illness.

Stigmatizing attitudes in Japan are stronger than in Taiwan or Australia, possibly due to institutionalism, lack of national campaigns to tackle stigma, and/or society's valuing of conformity in Japan.

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/pcn.12086/abstract

Try persuading a friend to get help, and tell us how it goes. Thank you.

New to Japan, are we?

Yep. Fresh off the boat -- in 1971.

Stigmatizing attitudes in Japan are stronger than in Taiwan or Australia

Might well be the case. At last count there were 196 countries in the world. That leaves 193 comparisons to be made.

this excuse is going to be even more popular than the 'I was drunk' excuse so readily offered and accepted.

This is an oft repeated claim in this venue but I have yet to see anyone give a specific citation to a specific court decision. Give me some citations in either English or Japanese where 'I was drunk' leads to either charges being dropped or an acquittal.

This is exactly the comment I was referring to how people on here has no clue as to how the justice system works. Having a guilty verdict does not automatically equate to jail time.

It's not just Japan. Look up "suspended sentence." Suspended sentences can be and are given in the US and the UK. I believe that France is another country where non-violent first time offenders are generally not given jail sentences.

It's not scientific research but there seems to be a shocking lack of awareness of both mental health and animal rights here in Japan.

Precisely how are these two issues manifested? Mental health, especially depression, gets frequent coverage on television such that it sometimes seems that Japanese have adopted depression as their national illness.

Exactly which "animal rights" are being violated in Japan. More typically foreigners complain that Japanese pamper pets and spend an inordinate amount of money on them. I cycle all over both rural and urban. I've never seen animals being abused. What have you seen?

because he wanted to release his stress from work

I just wonder why he couldn't find more decent outlet to relieve his stress, say, get a drink and such... ;‑)

Karma will be his Judge and His bad Karma will knock his door sooner or later.

Cats are the cutest animals of all. They are innocent and playful. They each rats for you so that they keep your house more sanitary. The cats helped Japanese doctors when epidec black plague in Japan started killing people. The doctors decided to hire CATS and let them eat RATS that brought the infection around the house. They prevented the spread and they terminated entirely the epidec in Japan. Thanks to CATS. Put this man in to a jail for the rest of his life.

Big man taking it out on something smaller and weaker. Just a matter of time before he runs up behind a woman or high school girl a slices her. Pathetic weak looser of a man.

Might well be the case. At last count there were 196 countries in the world. That leaves 193 comparisons to be made.

Be my guest.

Personal observation is that stress (pardon the euphemism) is better understood and handled in other societies and workplaces.

Have a great GW!