Japan court orders retrial of man who served jail term for schoolgirl's murder

Tokyo, Oct 23 (IANS) A Japanese high court decided on Wednesday to order a retrial for a man who served a seven-year prison sentence over the murder of a junior high school girl in central Japan 38 years ago.

The Kanazawa branch of the Nagoya High Court handed down the ruling in response to a request made in 2022 by Shoshi Maekawa, who is 59 years old, citing the possibility that one of the testimonies that led to his conviction was false and motivated by self-interest.

Presiding Judge Koji Yamada said the accounts were not credible and there are lingering questions about whether investigators acted appropriately when obtaining the accounts, Xinhua news agency reported.

Maekawa was charged with killing 15-year-old Tomoko Takahashi at her home in Fukui Prefecture. The Fukui District Court acquitted him at the initial trial in 1990, and he was convicted by the high court's Kanazawa branch, with the ruling upheld by the Supreme Court.

Maekawa sought a retrial once before, lodging the request in 2004 after completing his prison term. The Kanazawa court decided in 2011 to reopen the case, but the decision was overturned by the Nagoya High Court following an objection by prosecutors.

His second request for a retrial was filed in 2022. Maekawa has maintained his innocence since he was arrested in 1987.

--IANS

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