HIROSHIMA - A court on Monday sentenced a man to one year in prison, suspended for three years, for abusing rabbits on an island in western Japan.
Riku Hotta, 25, killed or injured seven rabbits on Okuno Island, also known as "Rabbit Island," in Hiroshima Prefecture by kicking them or sticking scissor blades into their mouths, according to the ruling at the Kure branch of the Hiroshima District Court.
The judge, Wataru Shimazaki, condemned the assault as malicious but said the defendant admitted to the charges and reflected on the act.
Hotta was arrested on suspicion of animal abuse in January after being seen kicking a rabbit, which later died, on a street on Okuno Island, which is home to about 500 semi-wild rabbits.
The Environment Ministry is considering installing additional surveillance cameras on the island in response to the incident.
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