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For Yuno, they may say that it's considered murder because Japan has a negative view on abortion and argue against the framing of it as murder because abortion isn't murder.

For Mahiru and Kazui, they may say 'but being in love isn't the issue!'/'but it's the partner who killed themself!'

People are less generous for Fuuta because he's indirectly killed a middleschooler to satiate his boredom, but it's still surprisingly different compared to the definition of murder - Yuno, Mahiru, Kazui, and Fuuta are being considered murderers by Milgram, despite not aiming to directly kill their victims.

Milgram doesn't care about the indirectness of all these crimes. This much is obvious. But, if not about the legal widespread definition of murder, then what does Milgram consider murder?

These past 3 trials suggest that it's dependent on what the prisoner considers a murder.

Yuno has already said multiple times that she considered her abortion a bad act because she feels like she should have been punished for taking life for granted (as many women like Mahiru aren't able to have that happen in their lives). This doesn't make her logic right, but it explains why she might see it as murder.

Kazui feels guilt about not having been open about his attraction with his wife and considers him coming out of the closet as what pushed her to do it.

Mahiru, even if she's confused and can't understand what she did wrong, feels as though her love for her boyfriend had played a part in how he died.

Fuuta felt guilt even from T1 - the end of his MV shows it, regardless of how much he hides his feelings to Es and to himself, and then T3 confirms that he has the habit of running away from his problems. Even if he refuses to acknowledge it as a murder at first, his emotions were firmly set on considering it a murder.

'But then, why was it written this way? The Milgram Project writers could have used a legal definition of murder instead.'

The confusion surrounding their definition of 'murder' is evidently on purpose by the time Trial 3 started. These characters consider their actions to be murders, which adds to the amount of discussions that voters can have. For example: The discussions for Yuno's trial had helped some people to understand that abortion isn't murder and Kazui's may have led people to re-evaluate why they thought he should've stay closeted/told her sooner.

I want to talk about this here, since it's basically just ENG fans here and it might provide some closure to people who are (reasonably) upset by how Mikoto's story concluded.

I firmly believe that Mikoto's case, and most portrayals of D.I.D in Japanese fiction, result from the case of the heavily publicized Otaku Killer. I am going to talk about it a little bit here, but not too much. I implore you though, if you choose to look it up for yourself, PLEASE BE CAREFUL. It is an absolutely VILE case of child abuse and exploitation committed by this man, and it's not for the faint of heart, much less for someone with a history of CSA.

This was a man who killed four young girls over the span of the year. He was caught in his attempt to abduct a fifth child. When interviewed, he claimed that within his mind existed a "Rat Man", who commanded him to do what he did. Somehow, the psychologist (or several) screening him came to the conclusion that this was a confirmed case of D.I.D. His childhood was rife with isolation and bullying, but the details are overall vague, at least for the general public. Reportedly he came from a family with a solid reputation, and he excelled greatly in school, though his grades abruptly plummeted later on for unknown reason. Likely due to family troubles, as he deemed them inconsiderate of his emotions, and that they had too high of expectations for him. All-in-all, though the troubles he suffered were with no doubt real...why exactly was he diagnosed with D.I.D??? Outside of the "Rat Man" claim, did he exhibit any symptoms of amnesia, or...literally anything else??? He was simply diagnosed based on his admission alone, it seems, and people question that label put on him to this day. For good reason, from my perspective.

Despite this, he was still deemed to have been too "aware" during the crimes to receive a reduced sentence, and so he was executed. This case was HEAVILY publicized. Not only did it stain the label of "Otaku" forever (mainstream media blamed his interest in anime and manga for his crimes), but it may have been the general public's first introduction to the concept of a "split personality."

I can't help but think this is the reason Mikoto's writing is the way it is. He's a young adult like he was, who felt "pressured" and had an "inability to be vulnerable with family", who for some reason experienced a sudden change in demeanor that progressed into him killing multiple people. His childhood doesn't have textbook signs for D.I.D development at all, but it's what we're told is true anyways. And now we're to ask questions about his guilt. Despite the fact that it all doesn't seem to "make sense."

Do I think this means Mikoto is an example of good writing? Nope. I'm not happy at all. But I get the feeling this is why it is the way it is (somewhat hindered by the fact that I haven't seen the Japanese audience connect these pieces yet.) As for Yamanaka "having a psychology degree", I firmly believe it. I can fully believe this is what he was taught about D.I.D. ESPECIALLY depending on when he obtained his degree. Even in the West, knowledge about D.I.D among professionals who haven't specifically studied it is sparse. Some licensed Psychologists staunchly believe it doesn't exist at it. Would NOT at all surprise me if Yamanaka was taught that D.I.D was exactly like this particular case. Randomly appearing in adulthood. Randomly leading to violence. No history of childhood trauma. With the genuinely heartbreaking tale of Japan's work exploitation and abuse sprinkled in as a more concrete and relatable explanation.

Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong on any details. I'm just going off of my memories of the case and the small articles I read directly before making this.