BACKGROUND TWO: From a previous post of this Blog: (29 May, 2025): "However, as the trial that began in July revealed, the prosecution's case was based on fabricated evidence and the extortion of confessions over the course of hundreds of interrogations. A police officer who was called to testify even suggested that the investigations were intended to serve the ambitions of some of his superiors. At the start of the investigation in 2018, prosecutors contacted the Ministry of Economy (METI), which confirmed that there was nothing to prohibit exports of the machines in question, as they could not be used for military purposes. The public prosecutor allegedly overlooked this fact and forced METI to collaborate with the prosecution. An investigator also pressured one of the three defendants to sign a written statement, the contents of which were worded in such a way as to confirm the accusations. Although the police consulted experts, one of them explained to the court, "What I said was changed."……..."Like others before them, the Ohkawara Kakohki managers fell victim to the excesses of the Japanese justice system, which denies criminal suspects "the rights to due process and a fair trial," as Human Rights Watch (HRW) pointed out in a report published in May 2023. Focused on obtaining confessions, it allows suspects to be held in police custody for up to 23 days, renewable indefinitely on the basis of other charges…"

https://draft.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/120008354894645705/5296055726993156403

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PASSAGE ONE OF THE DAY: "The report noted that the chief of a section in charge of the investigation and the chief's direct supervisor prioritized arrests of suspicious individuals and did not pay sufficient attention to information that could be detrimental to building a case, such as suggestions from subordinates that did not align with the investigation's line of inquiry. A division chief who supervised the two officials in question failed to ensure investigation details were reported to senior officials, including the bureau chief, and communications with the senior officials had "become a mere formality," according to the report. The report also said that the senior officials had not actually directed the investigation, failing to actively confirm details properly. "It is undeniable that related individuals would not have been arrested if the Public Security Bureau had carefully considered (the investigation procedures) as an organization," the report said."

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PASSAGE TWO OF THE DAY: "In May this year, the Tokyo High Court upheld a lower court ruling that found the arrests and indictment illegal, ordering the state and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government to pay a total of ¥166 million in damages. The high court found that an improper method was used during an interrogation of a former company executive. On this, the report said that the MPD "must sincerely reflect on it."

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PASSAGE THREE OF THE DAY: "The report set out 20 measures to prevent any recurrence. An investigation panel joined by the bureau chief will be introduced for important cases to ensure that information — including that unfavorable for building a case — and the progress of the investigation are reported from the initial stages. A program in which officials assess their supervisors will also start as early as this autumn. Following the report by the MPD, the National Police Agency instructed prefectural police nationwide the same day to take audio and video recordings of interrogations over suspected violations of the foreign exchange act, including allegations of illegal exports."

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STORY: "Tokyo police admit 'serious mistake' in investigation of spray dryer firm" published by Japan Times, on August 7, 2025.

PHOTO CAPTION: "Yuji Sakoda, superintendent-general at the Metropolitan Police Department, bows to apologize for the misconduct in the Ohkawara Kakohki case during a news conference in Tokyo on Thursday."

The Metropolitan Police Department admitted in a report released Thursday that it made a "serious mistake" during its investigation into machinery-maker Ohkawara Kakohki, which resulted in false accusations involving weapons exports being made against company executives.

In the report, the MPD stated that the chain of command in the investigation by its Public Security Bureau was "dysfunctional, leading to a serious mistake."

In March 2020, the bureau arrested company president Masaaki Okawara and two other executives, alleging that the firm exported without permission a spray dryer that could be repurposed for weapons production. The Tokyo District Public Prosecutor's Office dropped the charges against them in July 2021, just before the first criminal court hearing on the case.

According to the report, information unfavorable for building a case was not shared with senior MPD officials, and such officials merely rubber-stamped the investigation procedures.

The bureau "lacked fundamental investigative principles as an organization," the report pointed out.

"We caused significant stress and hardship" to people including Okawara, 76, and the two other company executives who were arrested, MPD Superintendent-General Yuji Sakoda told a news conference Thursday. "We deeply apologize."

The report noted that the chief of a section in charge of the investigation and the chief's direct supervisor prioritized arrests of suspicious individuals and did not pay sufficient attention to information that could be detrimental to building a case, such as suggestions from subordinates that did not align with the investigation's line of inquiry.

A division chief who supervised the two officials in question failed to ensure investigation details were reported to senior officials, including the bureau chief, and communications with the senior officials had "become a mere formality," according to the report.

The report also said that the senior officials had not actually directed the investigation, failing to actively confirm details properly.

"It is undeniable that related individuals would not have been arrested if the Public Security Bureau had carefully considered (the investigation procedures) as an organization," the report said.

In May this year, the Tokyo High Court upheld a lower court ruling that found the arrests and indictment illegal, ordering the state and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government to pay a total of ¥166 million in damages.

The high court found that an improper method was used during an interrogation of a former company executive. On this, the report said that the MPD "must sincerely reflect on it."

The report set out 20 measures to prevent any recurrence.

An investigation panel joined by the bureau chief will be introduced for important cases to ensure that information — including that unfavorable for building a case — and the progress of the investigation are reported from the initial stages. A program in which officials assess their supervisors will also start as early as this autumn.

Following the report by the MPD, the National Police Agency instructed prefectural police nationwide the same day to take audio and video recordings of interrogations over suspected violations of the foreign exchange act, including allegations of illegal exports."

This he entire story can be read at:

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/08/07/japan/crime-legal/japan-police-illegal-investigation/

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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the charles smith blog

Monday, August 11, 2025