(Update 2) Man Acquitted in Retrial over 1986 Murder in Central Japan

   Kanazawa, Ishikawa Pref., July 18 (Jiji Press)--A Japanese high court branch Friday acquitted a 60-year-old man in a high-profile retrial over the 1986 murder of a 15-year-old junior high school girl in the city of Fukui, the capital of the namesake prefecture in central Japan.
   The acquittal of Shoshi Maekawa, who was previously found guilty and served a prison sentence, was handed down by Nagoya High Court's branch in Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture, a Fukui neighbor.
   Presiding Judge Keisuke Masuda said that eyewitness testimonies from people including Maekawa's acquaintances, which served as the grounds for his guilty ruling, "cannot be trusted because there is a possibility of investigative authorities having unfairly led witnesses to testify."
   Since the end of World War II, at least 21 individuals in 19 cases in Japan, including Maekawa, have been acquitted for murder in retrials.
   Evidence newly disclosed by the prosecution played a decisive role in the latest acquittal ruling. This is likely to influence discussions on the retrial system, including setting rules for evidence disclosure.

(2025/07/18-22:39)