The National Public Safety Commission and Tochigi Prefectural Police announced disciplinary measures Thursday against nine prefectural officers, including the head of the force, for failing to take action that may have prevented a youth from being murdered.
The punitive action came as a result of the officers' disregard of their duty and failing to prevent the strangling of 19-year-old office worker Masakazu Sudo. They delayed taking action and were incompetent in their duty despite repeated calls for help from the victim's parents, prefectural police said.
The authorities reprimanded Shiro Hirohata, chief of the force, in writing, and suspended Hiroyuki Aoki, section chief of the Ishibashi Police Station, which was involved in the case, for 14 days. Three officers with the station will have their salaries reduced.
Ineptness on the part of the Tochigi officers was one of the elements that lead to the death of Sudo, a resident of Kamimikawa, Tochigi Prefecture, and thus the disciplinary measures were handed out not only to officials in charge of the case but also to their superiors for failing to supervise them appropriately.