{
  "id": 17190117,
  "title": "Sapporo court sentences farmer to 6 1/2 years for mosque arson",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/30/sapporo-court-sentences-farmer-to-6-1-2-years-for-mosque-arson",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-30T06:48:47.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Mainichi",
    "slug": "the-mainichi",
    "url": "https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20261030/p2a/00m/0na/034000c"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "On October 29, the Sapporo District Court handed down a six and a half year prison sentence to a 37-year-old farmer, Ryotaro Ishii, for arson of a mosque and another building in Ebetsu, Hokkaido. The charges included arson of uninhabited buildings. The initial trial hearing in September suggested a nine-year sentence from prosecutors, but the defense's plea for leniency, citing Ishii's subsequent charitable donations totaling 3.5 million yen ($22,000), led prosecutors to reduce the request to eight years before the final verdict.\n\nAccording to the ruling, Ishii used a lighter and gasoline to set fire to plastic bottles between February 15 and 28, targeting both a mosque and a building serving as an office and residence for a Pakistani resident in Ebetsu. The fires caused significant damage to the structures. Judge Shiro Watanabe, who presided over the case, expressed strong disapproval of Ishii's actions, stating that the attacker committed the crimes repeatedly over a short period, causing considerable shock and anxiety within the local community.\n\nWatanabe noted that Ishii had reportedly watched YouTube videos slandering Pakistani residents and others in Ebetsu, which he deemed as a factor prompting the attacks. However, Watanabe acknowledged that he took internet information of uncertain origin at face value. Following the verdict, Watanabe sternly admonished Ishii, urging him to reconsider his actions. Ishii responded by nodding in agreement multiple times.",
  "summary": "SAPPORO -- The Sapporo District Court sentenced a 37-year-old farmer to 6 1/2 years in prison on Oct. 29 for setting fire to a mosque and another buil",
  "key_points": [
    "Ryotaro Ishii sentenced to 6.5 years for mosque arson in Sapporo.",
    "37-year-old farmer used lighter and gasoline to set fires.",
    "Judge criticized Ishii's repeated attacks and internet misinformation."
  ],
  "editors_take": "The court's decision reflects a judicial attempt to balance the severity of targeted arson with the defendant's subsequent charitable efforts while condemning the influence of online misinformation on local communities.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}