2025 Osaka Korean-Japanese Homicide Case (Reiwa 7 (Wa) 310)

On March 12, 2025, in Osaka, Japan, a fatal stabbing occurred at a logistics company warehouse. Park Ji-hoon, a 34-year-old South Korean employee, allegedly attacked his Japanese supervisor, 45-year-old Yamada Kenji, with a utility knife following a prolonged dispute over workplace discrimination and unpaid overtime. The victim sustained multiple stab wounds and was pronounced dead at the scene. Park was arrested at the site without resistance. The case, docketed as “Reiwa 7 (Wa) 310” at the Osaka District Court, drew attention due to the perpetrator's foreign nationality and claims of systematic workplace harassment, framing it within the complex context of Zainichi Korean labor issues in Japan.

As of mid-2026, the Osaka District Court has concluded the initial trial phase. Park Ji-hoon was convicted of murder and sentenced to 16 years in prison. The court acknowledged the existence of workplace harassment as a mitigating factor but ruled the lethal response was disproportionate. Park's legal team has filed an appeal with the Osaka High Court, seeking a reduced sentence.

The primary dispute centers on whether the act was premeditated murder or an impulsive act driven by severe emotional distress from prolonged workplace harassment and racial discrimination. The defense argues for a charge reduction to voluntary manslaughter, citing the defendant's psychological state, while the prosecution emphasizes the brutality and number of stab wounds as evidence of clear intent to kill.

The case ignited fierce debate in both Japan and South Korea. In Japan, it spotlighted exploitative labor conditions for foreign workers and triggered government pledges to strengthen oversight. In South Korea, media framed it as a tragic consequence of deep-seated anti-Korean discrimination, sparking small-scale protests near the Japanese embassy in Seoul. It further strained the already sensitive socio-cultural relationship between the two nations, becoming a flashpoint in online nationalist discourse.