Court orders retrial of man over 1986 schoolgirl's murder

KANAZAWA, Ishikawa — A Japanese court decided Wednesday to order a retrial for a man who served a seven-year prison sentence over the 1986 murder of a junior high school girl in central Japan, questioning the credibility of the testimonies that led to his conviction.

In ordering a retrial for Shoshi Maekawa, 59, the Kanazawa branch of the Nagoya High Court cited the possibility that one of the statements was false and motivated by self-interest. Maekawa has maintained his innocence since he was arrested in 1987.

The Kanazawa court decided in 2011 to reopen the case, but the decision was overturned by the Nagoya High Court following an objection by prosecutors. His second request for a retrial was filed in 2022.

While there was no direct evidence, Maekawa was convicted based on the testimonies of his acquaintances. In the second request, the prosecution disclosed 287 new pieces of evidence, including police investigation reports.

The court said the man who first implicated Maekawa in the killing may have tried to use his testimony as a bargaining chip for a more lenient sentence or to secure bail in his own criminal case. The presiding judge said the man might have made a "false statement."

Criticizing the inappropriate offering of favorable treatment to the man, the judge said there were "strong grounds to suspect" that police forced others to give testimonies consistent with the first statement with the investigation stalling at the time.

Reacting to the ruling, Maekawa said he was "relieved" but cautious. "I can't get carried away just yet," he said, adding, "I'm aware that I'll face a long fight."

Satoru Yoshimura, who leads Maekawa's defense team, called the court decision "solid and justified," adding, "The large number of investigative reports disclosed by prosecutors was a decisive factor."

Reiko Fuchigami, president of the Japan Federation of Bar Associations, hailed the court's decision, saying she "reaffirmed the importance of evidence disclosure and active litigation proceedings." She urged prosecutors not to file an objection to the ruling.

Yoshihiko Hatanaka, the deputy prosecutor at the Nagoya High Public Prosecutors Office, said he will closely examine the details of the ruling and respond appropriately.

Maekawa was arrested on suspicion of murdering 15-year-old Tomoko Takahashi at her home in Fukui Prefecture. The Fukui District Court acquitted him in 1990, but he was convicted by the high court's Kanazawa branch, and the Supreme Court upheld the ruling.

The latest decision follows the recent acquittal in a retrial of an 88-year-old man who spent nearly half a century on death row over a quadruple murder in Shizuoka Prefecture in 1966.

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