TOKYO — The sixth and final day of arguments in the trial of Kimiko Kishiguchi was held Wednesday at the Hachioji branch of Tokyo District Court.
Kishiguchi, a 27-year-old Japanese men’s club hostess, is accused of dousing Capt. Samuel A. Pupich of Yokota Air Base with a gasoline-kerosene mixture outside the Fussa train station on June 25, 2002.
According to police reports Kishiguchi and Nanae In, a 33-year-old South Korean woman whom Pupich had met at a Roppongi bar, were at the station, where Pupich was to pick up In. When In opened the door to Pupich’s car, Kishiguchi, according to the report, doused the officer with fuel and tried to ignite it. In fled the scene and Pupich sped away, unharmed.
Fussa police arrested Kishiguchi and In in January and charged them with suspicion of attempted murder. The Hachioji prosecutor’s office reduced the charges on Kishiguchi from attempted murder to “threats” and released In on Jan. 29 — with a caveat she remains under investigation and could still face legal proceedings.
During Wednesday’s court session, prosecutor Masato Takahashi demanded two years of imprisonment without bail for Kishiguchi — the maximum allowed penalty. Takahashi said he’s afraid the crime could be committed again, if she’s released.
Defense lawyer Mizuyo Nakagawa asked for probation, claiming Kishiguchi confessed honestly and sincerely regretted the incident. Nakagawa said his client believed she was under the control of In, at the time a friend whom Kishiguchi has characterized as a psychic medium. Nakagawa said In told Kishiguchi that Pupich wouldn’t die if she set him on fire because he was born under a lucky star and that she would then in turn receive some of his good fortune.
Nakagawa noted In threatened her client, saying both Pupich and Kishiguchi, as well as Kishiguchi’s family would die if she didn’t perform the act.
When asked by Judge Takeshi Kimura if there was anything she wanted to say, Kishiguchi said she feels it’s unreasonable that In was free while she is on trial.
Kimura said the ruling on Kishiguchi will be delivered Aug. 15.
Pupich has since been reassigned to a base in the United States.
