Filipino intern sentenced to life for killing two Cambodian roommates in Japan

In a ruling by the Chiba District Court, Filipino technical intern Bulan Roel Bulan, 35, received a life sentence for the fatal stabbing of two Cambodian interns, Mong Samet, 25, and Chhat Chhit, 20, in May 2022. The killings occurred in the shared apartment they rented in Tomisato, Chiba Prefecture, where Bulan used a kitchen knife to stab each victim in the chest. Presiding Judge Satoshi Miyamoto rejected the defense's argument that Bulan was legally insane due to schizophrenia, determining he understood his actions.

The judge highlighted the victims' kindness and described the crime as a one-sided, dangerous act driven by personal stress and self-esteem issues. Bulan's immediate self-harm after the murders was deemed a selfish motive rather than mitigating factor. Prosecutors had requested life imprisonment, which the court granted.