The father of a slain 9-year-old Vietnamese girl told reporters Monday, the first anniversary of the discovery of her body, that he hopes similar incidents will never happen again.

Le Anh Hao, the 35-year-old father of Le Thi Nhat Linh, visited the site where her body was found a year ago in Abiko, east of Tokyo, and laid flowers in front of Linh's photo. She was allegedly murdered by a neighbor.

Hao, a resident of Matsudo in Chiba Prefecture, also said it was "really a long year" for the family and expressed hope that justice will be served in the upcoming trial.

The trial under the lay judge system for Yasumasa Shibuya, 46, who has been indicted on murder and other charges, will begin at the Chiba District Court on June 4. Shibuya was the head of the parents' association at the girl's elementary school at the time of the murder.

According to the indictment, Linh went missing on March 24, 2017, on her way to school and was found dead near a drainage ditch in the Chiba city of Abiko two days later. Shibuya was arrested the following month on suspicion of abandoning her body.

Hao said more than 1.1 million signatures seeking capital punishment for Shibuya have been collected in Japan, Vietnam and elsewhere.

Prior to visiting the crime scene, Hao met with Matsudo Mayor Kenji Hongoya at his home. The mayor told reporters that adults were responsible for not being able to protect Linh and he was very sorry.

Hao told the mayor he will continue to live in Matsudo and raise Linh's 4-year-old brother in the city, according to Hongoya.