KYODO NEWS - Apr 2, 2018 - 21:02 | All, Japan

A court on Monday granted prosecutors' request to conduct a psychiatric examination on a man who has admitted to killing and dismembering nine people at his apartment near Tokyo last year.

Although the Tachikawa branch of the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office declined to reveal the duration of the test, it is expected to take five months to evaluate the mental competency of Takahiro Shiraishi, investigative sources said.

The Tachikawa branch of the Tokyo District Court approved conducting the test.

After the evaluation, the prosecutors will decide whether or not to indict the 27-year-old man, who had been served with an arrest warrant 10 times in connection with the murders of nine people, ranging in age between 15 and 26, at his apartment in Zama, Kanagawa Prefecture between August and October.

He is believed to have approached people who expressed suicidal thoughts on the internet and lured them to his apartment.

(People observe Shiraishi's apartment from afar)

So far, no charges have been brought against him as the prosecutors plan to collectively decide on actions for all the cases based on the test results.

Judging from the content of his testimonies and his attitude during interrogations with investigators, the prosecutors believe Shiraishi can be held criminally liable, the sources said.

However, they decided to have him undergo a psychiatric test before indicting him, seeing that his mental state will be a focal point at his trial, they said.

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