PASSAGE OF THE DAY: "Critics of the retrial law say the system does not offer sufficient safeguards to victims of wrongful convictions because of its arduous process that can take decades. The system -- so time-consuming that campaigners call it the "Door That Never Opens" -- has not been changed since it was introduced over 70 years ago."
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STORY: "Japan Retrial System To Be Reviewed After Landmark Acquittal" published by Agence Frace Press, on February 7, 2025.
GIST: "Japan's retrial system will be scrutinised by legal experts for possible revision, officials said Friday, following last year's acquittal of the world's longest-serving death row prisoner.
Critics of the retrial law say the system does not offer sufficient safeguards to victims of wrongful convictions because of its arduous process that can take decades.
The system -- so time-consuming that campaigners call it the "Door That Never Opens" -- has not been changed since it was introduced over 70 years ago.
It follows the landmark acquittal of Iwao Hakamada, 88, who was found innocent in September of a 1966 quadruple murder for which he spent over four decades in confinement, mostly on death row.
Hakamada is only the fifth death row inmate granted a retrial in Japan's post-war history. All four previous cases resulted in exonerations.
But it took him 42 years to have his case reopened in total, delayed by snail-paced deliberations on his application and repeated appeals by the prosecution.
Now the justice ministry will ask a panel of legal experts to discuss revising the system, minister Keisuke Suzuki told reporters Friday.
"We will consult the council as soon as all preparations are made," a justice ministry official told AFP."
The entire story can be read at:
https://www.barrons.com/articles/japan-retrial-system-to-be-reviewed-after-landmark-acquittal-65a248fc
PUBLISHER'S NOTE: I am monitoring this case/issue/resource. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog for reports on developments. The Toronto Star, my previous employer for more than twenty incredible years, has put considerable effort into exposing the harm caused by Dr. Charles Smith and his protectors - and into pushing for reform of Ontario's forensic pediatric pathology system. The Star has a "topic" section which focuses on recent stories related to Dr. Charles Smith. It can be found at: http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith. Information on "The Charles Smith Blog Award"- and its nomination process - can be found at: http://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-smith-blog-award-nominations.html Please send any comments or information on other cases and issues of interest to the readers of this blog to: hlevy15@gmail.com. Harold Levy: Publisher: The Charles Smith Blog.
SEE BREAKDOWN OF SOME OF THE ON-GOING INTERNATIONAL CASES (OUTSIDE OF THE CONTINENTAL USA) THAT I AM FOLLOWING ON THIS BLOG, AT THE LINK BELOW: HL:
https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/120008354894645705/4704913685758792985
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FINAL WORD: (Applicable to all of our wrongful conviction cases): "Whenever there is a wrongful conviction, it exposes errors in our criminal legal system, and we hope that this case — and lessons from it — can prevent future injustices."
Lawyer Radha Natarajan:
Executive Director: New England Innocence Project;
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FINAL, FINAL WORD: "Since its inception, the Innocence Project has pushed the criminal legal system to confront and correct the laws and policies that cause and contribute to wrongful convictions. They never shied away from the hard cases — the ones involving eyewitness identifications, confessions, and bite marks. Instead, in the course of presenting scientific evidence of innocence, they've exposed the unreliability of evidence that was, for centuries, deemed untouchable." So true!
Christina Swarns: Executive Director: The Innocence Project;
