Japan woman, 23, forced girl to fall off bridge after she posted photo of her, jailed 27 years

A district court in Hokkaido, Japan, has sentenced 23-year-old Riko Uchida to 27 years in prison for the 2024 murder of a 17-year-old girl.

The victim died after falling into the Ishikari River from a suspension bridge, where she had been forced to sit naked on the railing.

Retaliation for posting a photo

According to the indictment, the victim had posted a photo of Uchida on social media without her consent, The Japan Times reported.

In her anger, Uchida conspired with others to force the victim into a car at a roadside station, assaulting and confining her before taking her to a secluded bridge on the outskirts of town.

On the night of Apr. 18, 2024, Uchida forced the victim to strip naked, kneel and bow on the ground, and sit on the bridge railing to apologise.

Uchida also filmed the scene.

The group allegedly repeatedly shouted phrases such as "fall off" and "die" before the victim fell to her death.

Court ruling

During the trial, Uchida denied any intent to kill, claiming she did not cause the victim to fall.

She testified that she had walked away from the teenager on the bridge and only heard a scream followed by a thud, according to The Asahi Shimbun.

However, prosecutors labelled Uchida the "ringleader and principal offender" of an "extremely cruel and malicious" crime that "trampled on the victim's dignity", The Japan Times wrote.

The Asahi Shimbun reported that prosecutors successfully argued that Uchida's continuous violence, threats, and psychological torment cornered the victim to such an extreme degree that she felt she had no choice but to fall.

This made the actions legally equivalent to murder, even if Uchida did not physically push her.

A total of four people, who were 16 to 21 years old at the time, were arrested in connection with the case.

Besides Uchida, a 21-year-old woman was accused of conspiring with Uchida and was sentenced to 23 years in jail.

Her testimony contradicted Uchida, claiming that Uchida had physically pushed the victim's back, causing her to fall into the river.

The remaining two were referred to the family court on confinement allegations.

They were sent to a juvenile facility and placed on probation, respectively