A Japanese man has admitted raping and strangling British teacher Lindsay Hawker but says he never meant to kill the 22-year-old.
On the first day of his murder trial in Chiba District Court, Tatsuya Ichihashi knelt on the floor and bowed to members of the Hawker family.
"I did not intend to kill her, but I am responsible for her death," he told the court. "I am very sorry for what I did."
Wearing jeans and a black shirt, the 32-year-old did not reveal details of the killing but said tearfully: "During the trial, I will speak about what happened."
Miss Hawker , from Brandon near Coventry, was in Tokyo teaching English and had gone to Ichihashi's flat after a lesson in a nearby coffee shop.
Police found her naked, bruised body - with her hands and feet bound - in a sand-filled bath tub on the balcony of the apartment in March 2007.
Ichihashi managed to evade officers and was on the run for two years and seven months before eventually being arrested in November 2009.
During his time as a fugitive, he had multiple rounds of plastic surgery to change his appearance so that he could avoid capture.
In court, his lawyers argued the defendant had tried to revive Miss Hawker after suffocating her by accident in a bid to stop her crying out to his neighbours for help.
Miss Hawker's parents, Bill and Julia and their daughters Lisa, 29, and Louise, 24, are all in Japan for the trial.
Mr Hawker said before the hearing began: "I'm here to get justice for my daughter. It's been a long time coming."
In a book written from prison entitled "Until The Arrest", Ichihashi recounted his experiences as he evaded the law.
He described the book as a "gesture of contrition for the crime I committed" and said he wanted to give any royalties to the Hawkers.
The victim's parents and sister Lisa will be called as prosecution witnesses during the trial.
Murder carries a possible death sentence in Japan and a verdict is expected on July 21.
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