Retrial for wrongfully convicted man to begin Oct 21

Sunday 06th September, 11:34 PM JST

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9 Comments

sakurasuki at 01:26 PM JST - 5th September

This guarantee his voting right for the next election, if he still alive at that time.
chotto at 02:15 PM JST - 5th September

But the prosecutors say that is unnecessary and that while they understand Sugaya’s desire for a thorough examination of the case in the retrial, quick nullification of the past ruling would be in the best interest of the defendant.

Which translates as, they couldn't handle the shame of being proven wrong, and would rather sweep this MASSIVE miscarriage of justice under the carpet.
kyoken at 03:56 PM JST - 5th September

What is there to re-trail; he is innocent.
Patrick Smash at 04:20 PM JST - 5th September

This is mental. He didn't do it. This is proved. Why re-try him?
sharky1 at 09:35 PM JST - 5th September

Waste of taxpayer's time and money. Just pay him and let him get on with his life!
grafton at 11:23 PM JST - 5th September

I think somebody needs to look beyond the obvious that this man was innocent. If he was innocent then the team that brought about his “guilt” also allowed the real guilty person to remain free, possibly free to commit more crimes against children. The police & prosecutors share any guilt with the real perpetrator of any attacks that took place after the wrong man was sent to prison. Releasing an innocent man from prison is not the only wrong that needs addressing here.
ratpack at 03:31 PM JST - 7th September

Your headline says it all.........."wrongfully convicted man"......ummm i have a stupid question.......why do we need a re-trail?
ThonTaddeo at 10:22 PM JST - 7th September

quick nullification of the past ruling would be in the best interest of the defendant.

And here I was thinking that the complete and total humiliation of the torturers in the police department who made him flasely confess to a crime would be what was in the best interest of the defendant.
dreamdrifter at 11:39 PM JST - 7th September

@kyoken @patrick smash @ratpack

Well, they still have to try someone who everyone knows is guilty, and this is similar i.e. it's a formal procedure that is necessary to annul an original sentence. Even though everyone knows he is innocent he is yet to be officially declared so by a court, until then his original sentence still stands (although suspended).

Under Japanese criminal law a retrial (which is always initiated in favour of the defendant) is conducted if a new evidences emerges in favour of the convicted or evidence of false accusation, fabrication of evidence etc.

Upon initiation of a retrial the original sentence is usually suspended, so in the case of a prison sentence the defendant is released from prison. (If the cops believe the accused will do a runner they can hold him/her during the retrial, but not in this instance as this guy is obviously not going to flee.) So that's why the guy is free, not because he has already been found innocent.