TOKYO - PROSECUTORS on Friday indicted a man for killing seven people in a stabbing spree in one of Japan's worst crimes in years after deciding he was fit for trial, a court official said.

Auto worker Tomohiro Kato, 26, was charged with murder and attempted murder, the official said. The indictment means Kato will likely face the death penalty.

Kato was arrested on the spot on June 8 after he rammed a rented truck into pedestrians in the crowded Akihabara district and then got out to randomly slash people. Seven people died and 10 others were injured.

Kato has remained in custody for four months since then as he underwent psychiatric evaluation.

The Tokyo Public Prosecutors Office studied results of Kato's mental examinations and decided that he was fit enough to take criminal responsibility, the court official said.

But defence lawyers can still question his sanity in the forthcoming trial, the date of which has not been set.

Kato documented his deadly journey to Akihabara on Internet bulletin boards, typing messages on a mobile phone from behind the wheel of the truck and complaining of his unstable job and loneliness in life.

Japan is the only major industrial nation other than the United States to administer the death penalty, which enjoys widespread public support. -- AFP