Shizuo Mishima: Japan: Wrongfully accused of the unauthorised export of sensitive equipment - and having died without being granted bail - police, and prosecutors have apologized at his grave apologise at his grave, The Straits Times reports, noting that: "Mr Okawara, Mr Shimada and Mr Aishima were arrested and indicted between March and June 2020 on suspicion of the unauthorised export of spray dryers capable of producing biological agents. Mr Aishima died in February 2021 at the age of 72 after a fight with stomach cancer, which was discovered while he was in detention. He had filed eight bail requests, but all were denied, though he was eventually allowed to leave detention to receive treatment. The prosecutors withdrew the indictments for Mr Aishima’s co-accused, Mr Okawara and Mr Shimada, in July 2021 when it was determined that “doubts have arisen as to whether they are guilty of a crime.”

BACKGROUND:  (From a previous post of this Blog -January 14, 2024):  "Shizuo Aishima and two co-accused: Japan: Controversial case - replete with allegations of fabrication of evidence by police and prosecutors, and extortion of false confessions — is described by "Le Monde" (Reporter Phillipe Mesmer) as rekindling criticism of a 'hostage justice system.'…"On March 10, 2019, prosecutors took three company executives into custody, including CEO Masaaki Okawara. On March 31, they indicted them and kept them in custody. On May 26, the three men were again questioned, this time for selling machines to South Korea, then subject to economic sanctions by Japan over a dispute around memorials. Requests for bail were denied, on the grounds that the suspects might destroy evidence. They were not granted bail until February 2020. One of the three defendants, Shizuo Aijima, died of neglected stomach cancer while in custody. The case brought Ohkawara Kakohki to the brink of bankruptcy."

https://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2024/01/shizuo-aishima-and-two-co-accused-japan.html

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PASSAGE OF THE DAY: "The Supreme Public Prosecutors Office said in its review that it “should deeply regret” that the bail applications could have been handled with more understanding. In September 2021, the company based in Yokohama filed a damages suit against the Tokyo metropolitan government and the state. A Tokyo High Court ruling in May concluded that the arrests and indictments of the three men were illegal and ordered the metropolitan government and the state to pay 166 million yen (S$1.44 million) in damages."

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STORY: "Japanese police, prosecutors apologise at grave of wrongfully accused man, published by The Straits Times  (Kyodu News) , on August 25, 2025.

GIST: "Tokyo police and prosecutors on Aug 25 apologised at the grave of a man who was wrongfully accused of the unauthorised export of sensitive equipment and died without being granted bail.

They made the apology at the gravesite of Mr Shizuo Aishima, a former adviser to machinery maker Ohkawara Kakohki, in Yokohama, with members of his family present.

The apology came after the police released a report earlier in August concluding that dysfunction in the investigative chain of command led to the wrongful arrests of Mr Aishima and two others.

“We are sorry for the illegal investigation and arrest,” said Deputy Superintendent General of the Metropolitan Police Department Tetsuro Kamata.

When representatives of the police and the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office apologised in June to company president Masaaki Okawara, 76, and Mr Junji Shimada, 72, one of the company’s former directors, the family of Mr Aishima was not present.

The family’s lawyer instead handed the officials a letter stating that they “cannot accept an apology under the current circumstances”.

Mr Okawara, Mr Shimada and Mr Aishima were arrested and indicted between March and June 2020 on suspicion of the unauthorised export of spray dryers capable of producing biological agents.

Mr Aishima died in February 2021 at the age of 72 after a fight with stomach cancer, which was discovered while he was in detention.

He had filed eight bail requests, but all were denied, though he was eventually allowed to leave detention to receive treatment.

The prosecutors withdrew the indictments for Mr Aishima’s co-accused, Mr Okawara and Mr Shimada, in July 2021 when it was determined that “doubts have arisen as to whether they are guilty of a crime”.

The Supreme Public Prosecutors Office said in its review that it “should deeply regret” that the bail applications could have been handled with more understanding.

In September 2021, the company based in Yokohama filed a damages suit against the Tokyo metropolitan government and the state.

A Tokyo High Court ruling in May concluded that the arrests and indictments of the three men were illegal and ordered the metropolitan government and the state to pay 166 million yen (S$1.44 million) in damages.""

The entire story can be read at: 

https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/japanese-police-prosecutors-apologise-at-grave-of-wrongfully-accused-man

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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