Hanged man's widow seeks retrial over old DNA testing

Thursday 29th October, 06:45 AM JST

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13 Comments

KallyPygous at 08:37 AM JST - 29th October

Japanese 'Justice' - more important to be seen doing something than to do it right.
SBBarnes at 09:04 AM JST - 29th October

If Sugaya's case was like the firebombing of Tokyo, if this guy was hanged on a sloppy and false DNA test, it will be like the atom bomb on Hiroshima.

There are plenty of reasons to be down on Japan's justice system, but that will take the cake. The question is, will the people of Japan keep sleeping? I think they will. They always assume that anyone who gets in trouble with the law simply must have done something wrong.

Anyway, I find it mildly and morbidly amusing how people trust the science of DNA comparison but don't know two bits about it. I remain skeptical, even of the so-called "improved" methods. Besides, the evidence can still be planted and mixed up in the lab, so its no cure all.
buggerlugs at 09:28 AM JST - 29th October

I can't see the courts allowing a retrial. That would/could prove the system is just a joke.
Miyaratmosphere at 09:51 AM JST - 29th October

Japanese 'Justice' - more important to be seen doing something than to do it right.

100% agree with you. They are nothing but SHAMELESS!
timorborder at 09:53 AM JST - 29th October

I can't see the courts allowing a retrial. That would/could prove the system is just a joke.

Exactly, home truths like this one would be just too much for the establishment to bear. Moreover, look for the local media to largely bury/ignore this issue.
SBBarnes at 10:41 AM JST - 29th October

How many will repent if a retrial is allowed, the DNA test found to be incorrect, and the man posthumously vindicated? I should write some names down now...

I do know a place where some university students had to work around the system to find that people had been incorrectly executed because attempts to reopen the cases were not allowed. It wasn't Japan. Riding horses is fine, just make sure yours is not too high. Its a long way down.
bobbafett at 10:41 AM JST - 29th October

what would be good for the world is if there was an international counsel to apply to when local justice fails.
jpesquire at 12:53 PM JST - 29th October

This is why the death penalty should be outlawed.
PepinGalarga at 08:53 PM JST - 29th October

hy do you need a re-trial to do a DNA test? Can't the police just re-open the investigation, then do all the DNA tests they want? If the police find exculpatory evidence, then there should be enough to give the guy a pardon. Do they have pardons in Japan?

Also, if the DNA test exonerates him, the same investigation should work to find out who the real killer was...

This situation has happened countless times in the US and other western countries, so if it were to happen in Japan, it doesn't neccesarily mean that Japan's forensic capabilities are down the toilet. They got all the latest gadgets, sometimes they just dont know how to use them correctly and justly...
dolphingirl at 08:59 PM JST - 29th October

DNA testing has been a wonderful advance in technology, but DNA alone shouldn't be enough to convict or vindicate anyone. It needs to be used as a tool along with other evidence. In addition, given that no case can be 100% error free, the death penalty should definitely be abolished.
bamboohat at 09:53 PM JST - 29th October

this would be absolutely horrible if poor guy turns out to be innocent. But good on him for not folding to the cops, and good on the poor widow who is still fighting valiantly to clear his name. We should all be so lucky.

It's all about face, justice is irrelevant. They'll only change the system if it this makes them lose enough face. That's all they understand.
Patrick Smash at 11:47 PM JST - 29th October

People supporting the death sentence don't care if the innocent are murdered by the State, ie they support the killing of innocent people, better known as murder. The Death Sentence has no place in civilised society and should be abolished immediately.
taj at 01:19 PM JST - 4th November

If the police find exculpatory evidence, then there should be enough to give the guy a pardon.

Pepin, the police don't give pardons. That's for the court system. Police investigate. Prosecutors prosecute. Judges judge and sentence. The Ministry of Justice oversees the lot.

Don't forget folks, there's a new Minister of Justice in town and she's very different from her LDP predecessors. Let's just hope she can find the strength and support to effect change in the face of entrenched ministry bureaucrats.