21.   The development was big news in Japan, where the case has been the object of intense public fascination.

22.   The development stunned Japan, where the case has been the object of intense public fascination.

23.   There are too many scandals to let any one issue dominate the public fascination for too long, Bangkokian thinks.

24.   As prosecution and defense teams prepared for a showdown at the preliminary hearing, public fascination with the slash-and-stab murders continued to grow.