Command Chain in Ohkawara Kakohki Probe Seen Deemed Dysfunctional

   Tokyo, Aug. 4 (Jiji Press)--Tokyo's Metropolitan Police Department will release soon a report concluding that the chain of command in an investigation by its Public Security Bureau into machinery maker Ohkawara Kakohki Co. was dysfunctional, informed sources said Monday.
   The police are considering disciplinary action against multiple people who were involved in the investigation, including senior officials of the bureau and those who have already retired.
   The MPD launched a team in June to examine its probe of Ohkawara Kakohki, after a finalized ruling on a damages lawsuit concluded that the investigation was illegal. The team, headed by the MPD's deputy superintendent-general, conducted interviews with the chief and other senior members of the bureau at the time of the incident.
   It found that procedures for reporting investigation details to senior officials, including the bureau chief, had become a mere formality, and that senior officials failed to ensure that the investigation was conducted properly, according to the sources. Even if negative evidence emerged during the investigation, that information was not shared with senior officials.
   To prevent recurrences, the MPD will create a new office for investigation guidance within the bureau, aiming to bolster reviews of statutory interpretations and gathered evidence from a third-party perspective.

(2025/08/04-19:17)