PASSAGE OF THE DAY: "Other members of the subcommittee include lawyer Yumi Kamoshida, who works on retrial system reform within the Japan Federation of Bar Associations, as well as criminal law scholars, prosecutors and judges. Including non-voting secretariat staff, the subcommittee will have 23 members in total."
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STORY: "Judge who ordered retrial of now-acquitted Hakamada joins reform advisory panel," published by Mainichi (Japan), on April 19, 2025;
PHOTO CAPTION: "Attorney Hiroaki Murayama, who used to serve as presiding judge at the Shizuoka District Court, is seen in this April 25, 2023, photo."
GIST: TOKYO: "A subcommittee of an advisory body to Japan's minister of justice on reviewing the retrial system will include a former judge who first granted recently acquitted Iwao Hakamada a retrial over a quadruple murder after he spent decades on death row.
Justice Minister Keisuke Suzuki on April 18 announced the members of the legislative council subcommittee to discuss revisions to the retrial system, which is often criticized for taking a long time.
The 14-member body will include attorney Hiroaki Murayama, who approved Hakamada's retrial as a judge. The subcommittee will hold its first meeting on April 21, marking the start of full-scale discussions among experts.
As the then presiding judge at the Shizuoka District Court, Murayama in 2014 ruled in favor of a retrial for Hakamada, whose death sentence for robbery-murder had been finalized.
The now lawyer also suspended both the execution of the death sentence and Hakamada's detention, resulting in the then inmate's release after 47 years in custody. In 2024, Hakamada was officially acquitted in his retrial.
Other members of the subcommittee include lawyer Yumi Kamoshida, who works on retrial system reform within the Japan Federation of Bar Associations, as well as criminal law scholars, prosecutors and judges. Including non-voting secretariat staff, the subcommittee will have 23 members in total.
Suzuki commented, "These individuals are well-suited to consider the matter from a wide range of perspectives. Public interest is high, and I hope to receive recommendations as promptly as possible."
Aside from the legislative council, a multi-partisan group of Diet members is also working on drafting a bill to revise the retrial system during the current parliamentary session."
The entire story can be read at:
https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20250419/p2a/00m/0na/003000c
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;
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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
———————————————————————————————
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;
—————————————————————————————————
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;
