In 2009, Japan began a mixed jury system to try major criminal cases. Below are 2 lists showing decisions of not guilty.
Chart A: Complete Not Guilty Verdicts
Statistics
Total: 10
Chart B: Partial Not Guilty Verdicts
Total: 1
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Chart A: Complete Not Guilty Verdicts
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No. # |
Case Name Location Date of Incident Date of Arrest |
Defendant's Name(s) (Family First) F=female |
Charges ~~~~ Confessed? |
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1 |
Chiba 2009/Nov First Verdict of Not Guilty under the Mixed Jury system. |
安西喜久夫 Anzai Kikuo b. 1951 |
Smuggling of Stimulants (from Malaysia) |
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Summary Prosecutors demanded 12 Years imprisonment and 6 million yen ($75,000) fine from a company president who brought in a metal box containing drugs to be given to a third party as a souvenir. Court Chronology District Court 2010/June/23 Not Guilty High Court 2011/Mar/30 Guilty Ten Years imprisonment and 6 million yen fine. Supreme Court Later Actions |
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No. # |
Case Name Location Date of Incident Date of Arrest |
Defendant's Name(s) (Family First) F=female |
Charges ~~~~ Confessed? |
|
2 |
Kagoshima June 2009 鹿児島夫婦害事件 (Tried by Mixed Jurors) |
Shirahama Masahiro aged 70 |
Murder of an elderly couple (husband 91/ wife 87) |
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Summary Shirahama was charged with robbery and murder. The case was based on weak circumstantial evidence, and in the view of many--planted evidence. The defendant claims to have never visited the home. This was the first decision of not guilty in a capital case under the mixed jury system. Court Chronology District Court 2010 December 10 Not Guilty High Court On appeal Supreme Court Later Actions |
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No. # |
Case Name Location Date of Incident Date of Arrest |
Defendant's Name(s) (Family First) F=female |
Charges ~~~~ Confessed? |
|
3 |
Liang Stimulant |
梁振華 Liang Zhen-hua (Japanese Ryou Shinka) aged 33 |
Receiving Stimulants |
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Summary Prosecutors demanded 13 years + Seven Million Yen ($85,000) sentence. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Court Chronology District Court (Tokyo) 2011/01/24 Not Guilty Confirmed: Prosecution abandons appeal High Court Supreme Court Confirmed: Prosecution abandons appeal Later Actions |
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No. # |
Case Name Location Date of Incident Date of Arrest |
Defendant's Name(s) (Family First) F=female |
Charges ~~~~ Confessed? |
|
4 |
Osaka aged 42 (Tried by Mixed Jurors) |
Abudei Smairu (exact spelling not known) |
Smuggling Stimulants |
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Summary Prosecutors demanded 18 years and 8 million yen fine. Court Chronology District Court 2011/01/29 Not Guilty High Court Supreme Court Later Actions |
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No. # |
Case Name Location Date of Incident Date of Arrest |
Defendant's Name(s) (Family First) F=female |
Charges ~~~~ Confessed? |
|
5 |
Kanehara Chiemi (F) Hamamatsu 2009/12 b. 1967 (Tried by Mixed Jurors) |
Kanehara Chiemi ( F ) |
Murder |
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Summary The accused was charged with murdering her 69 year old common law husband. A 13 year sentence was demanded and the mixed jury found she acted in self-defense. Court Chronology District Court 2011/02/02 Not Guilty High Court Supreme Court Later Actions Defendant Currently Housed at |
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No. # |
Case Name Location Date of Incident Date of Arrest |
Defendant's Name(s) (Family First) F=female |
Charges ~~~~ Confessed? |
|
6 |
(Tried by Mixed Jurors) |
??? |
Receiving one kilogram of marijuana from an acquaintance. |
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Summary Prosecutors sought a five year sentence and one million yen fine. Court Chronology District Court 2011/04/28 Not Guilty High Court Supreme Court Later Actions Defendant Currently Housed at |
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No. # |
Case Name Location Date of Incident |
Defendant's Name(s) (Family First) F=female |
Charges ~~~~ |
|
7 |
Hyogo: Kobe |
HIrashima Masahira 平島正成 aged 56 |
Theft and bodily injury. Prosecution requested 8 years. |
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Summary Charged with theft and causing serious bodily injury-grabbing a woman's handbag and causing injury by dragging. Court Chronology District Court 2011/05/24 Not Guilty High Court Supreme Court Later Actions |
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No. # |
Case Name Location Date of Incident Date of Arrest |
Defendant's Name(s) (Family First) F=female |
Charges ~~~~ Confessed? |
|
8 |
|
Sawyer, Robert Joffrey aged 54 |
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Summary Prosecutors demanded a sentence of 13 years and 7 million yen. Court Chronology District Court 2011/Jun/16 Not Guilty High Court Supreme Court Later Actions Defendant Currently Housed at |
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No. # |
Case Name Location Date of Incident |
Defendant's Name(s) (Family First) F=female |
Charges ~~~~ |
|
9 |
Tokyo 2010/Sep |
M. Luis Garcia aged 34 |
Importing stimulants and participation in an international drug cartel. |
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Summary The accused was charged with accepting a package containing six kilograms of stimulants and participating in an international cartel. Prosecutors demanded 15 years and a fine of 8 million yen. Court Chronology District Court 2011/Jul/01 Not Guilty High Court Supreme Court Later Actions |
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No. # |
Case Name Location Date of Incident |
Defendant's Name(s) (Family First) F=female |
Charges ~~~~ |
|
10 |
Tokyo Murder Case Miyagi 1999 |
Sugata Shinya b. 1968 |
Importing stimulants and participation in an international drug cartel. |
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Summary The defendant is charged with three separate murders between 1999 and 2004. In the 1999 murder, the testimony of an alleged accomplice already serving life imprisonment was called unreliable. Court Chronology District Court 2011/Oct/6 Not Guilty High Court Supreme Court Later Actions |
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Chart B: Partial Not Guilty Verdicts
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Case Name Location Date of Incident |
Defendant's Name(s) (Family First) F=female |
Charges ~~~~ Confessed? |
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Tokyo 2009/September (Tried by Mixed Jurors) |
Okamoto Kazuyoshi |
Arson, Trespassing and Theft |
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Summary Tried by a mixed jury system, Okamoto was accused of setting fire to an apartment, trespassing and stealing cash, but was convicted only of trespassing and theft. Court Chronology District Court (Tokyo) 2010 July 18 months. Trespassing and Theft =guilty. Arson=not guilty. High Court (Tokyo) 2011/March 29 Remanded to District Court Supreme Court Later Actions |
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