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July 24, 2026
 

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FALSE CONVICTIONS

A bill to amend the Code of Criminal Procedure was enacted at an Upper House plenary session on Friday.
51勛圖厙 / Politics
Jul 17, 2026
Japan＊s parliament passes bill to revise retrial system
The revised code will prohibit prosecutors from appealing court orders to initiate retrials in principle, while some exceptions will be allowed on sufficient grounds.
The Judicial Affairs Committee of the House of Councilors holds a hearing on a bill to revise the retrial system under the Code of Criminal Procedure, at the Diet building in Tokyo on Thursday.
51勛圖厙 / Crime & Legal
Jun 26, 2026
Expert witnesses demand amendment to retrial reform bill
The bill to revise the Code of Criminal Procedure limits the scope of evidence that courts may order public prosecutors to submit to that related to an appeal for retrials.
Koji Sakahara (center), the eldest son of Hiromu Sakahara, and others attend a news conference at the Shiga Prefectural Government building on Friday.
51勛圖厙 / Crime & Legal
Jun 19, 2026
Man given life sentence likely to be acquitted posthumously
Hiromu Sakahara was convicted of robbery-murder after a liquor shop owner was killed and her safe was stolen in the town of Hino, Shiga Prefecture. He died in 2011.
The Judicial Affairs Committee of the House of Representatives approves a bill to revise Japan's criminal retrial system on Friday.
51勛圖厙 / Crime & Legal
Jun 12, 2026
Lower House panel approves retrial system reform bill
The bill is expected to clear the Lower House on Tuesday and be enacted during the current Diet session ending in July.
Hideko Hakamata attends a parliamentary session on May 27 to observe deliberations on a Criminal Procedure Code revision bill.
51勛圖厙 / Crime & Legal
Jun 9, 2026
Sister of ex-death row inmate calls for full disclosure of evidence by prosecutors amid retrial system review
A bill under consideration would limit the scope of evidence disclosure and mandate that the defense not be provided with a list of evidence.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi responds to questions about the criminal procedure law in parliament on Tuesday.
51勛圖厙 / Politics
May 26, 2026
Takaichi stresses ＆great significance＊ of retrial system reform
The government bill prohibits in principle public prosecutors from filing appeals against court decisions to start retrials.
A Cabinet meeting on Friday that approved a revised bill on the retrial system
51勛圖厙 / Crime & Legal
May 15, 2026
Cabinet approves revision of controversial retrial system
Critics of Japan＊s retrial system have said prosecutors＊ right to appeal is prolonging the court procedures needed for those seeking a retrial, with it sometimes taking decades.
Keisuke Suzuki, who heads a Liberal Democratic Party panel on the judicial system, speaks during a party meeting on retrial revisions on Wednesday at the party's headquarters in Tokyo.
51勛圖厙 / Politics
May 14, 2026
LDP approves government proposal to revise retrial system
The approval paves the way for the revision 〞 a top priority for the government 〞 to be submitted to the current parliamentary session.
Hideko Hakamata (right), the elder sister of Iwao Hakamata who was acquitted of a 1966 murder, attends a rally in Tokyo on April 18 to oppose the Justice Ministry's bill to revise the retrial system, which would continue to allow public prosecutors to appeal decisions to start a retrial.
51勛圖厙 / Crime & Legal
May 5, 2026
Growing number of critical views expressed online over proposed retrial reforms
Many social media users took interest in the topic after the draft bill to revise the code drew severe objections 〞 even angry outbursts 〞 from some lawmakers.
Shoshi Maekawa speaks to reporters Tuesday in the city of Fukui after filing a compensation claim at the Fukui District Court over the time he spent under detention following his conviction over a 1986 murder. He was acquitted in a retrial in August 2025.
51勛圖厙 / Crime & Legal
Apr 29, 2026
Man acquitted over 1986 murder seeks state compensation
Shoshi Maekawa, 60, was acquitted in a retrial in August 2025.
Hideko Hakamata, of former death-row inmate Iwao Hakamata, speaks during a gathering in Tokyo in June to call for a revision of Japan's retrial system.
51勛圖厙 / Crime & Legal
Apr 24, 2026
Former death-row inmate＊s sister further denounces Japan＊s review of retrial system
Hideko Hakamata says she opposes the draft government bill, which seeks to ban the use of evidence disclosed during court proceedings on retrial petitions for any other purpose.
Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker Tomomi Inada (second from left) attends a party panel meeting on revising Japan's retrial system at the party's headquarters on April 15.
51勛圖厙 / Politics / FOCUS
Apr 22, 2026
LDP and Justice Ministry remain divided over how to revise retrial system
One key issue at the heart of the impasse in revising the retrial system has been whether to allow prosecutors to appeal a court decision to reopen a case.
Hideko Hakamata (front, second from left) and others participate in a protest against the proposed revision of Japan's retrial system, in Tokyo on Saturday.
51勛圖厙 / Crime & Legal
Apr 18, 2026
Former death row inmate＊s sister slams Japan＊s retrial review plan
Iwao Hakamata＊s elder sister called for public prosecutors to be barred from appealing court decisions granting retrials.
Ruling Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers have asked the Justice Ministry to amend a bill aimed at revising Japan＊s retrial system.
51勛圖厙 / Crime & Legal
Apr 16, 2026
LDP members demand rewrite of bill to revise retrial system
The bill proposes a one-year limit on court proceedings initiated by prosecutors＊ appeal against a retrial ruling, but party members want such appeals banned entirely.
The government is set to delay the submission to parliament of a bill aimed at amending the country's retrial system.
51勛圖厙
Apr 9, 2026
Government to delay submission of retrial system reform bill
The move came as the government sees the need to take more time for coordination.
Hiroyuki Kuzuno, professor at Aoyama Gakuin University (left), and other legal experts on retrials hold a news conference in Tokyo on Monday.
51勛圖厙 / Crime & Legal
Apr 7, 2026
142 retrial experts blast Japanese government panel proposal
The Legislative Council proposal, which would maintain the right of the prosecution to appeal retrial orders, is saddled with ※serious problems,§ the group said.
The National Diet building in Tokyo. Some members of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party are opposed to a bill to reform the retrial system that the government is considering submitting.
51勛圖厙 / Politics
Apr 4, 2026
Many LDP members oppose retrial system reform bill
Many argued that retrial appeals by prosecutors should be banned, saying such appeals impede relief for wrongful convictions.
Ronda Payne (center), the mother of Christopher Payne, an American man convicted of sexual assault in Japan, speaks to reporters in Tokyo on Friday.
51勛圖厙 / Crime & Legal
Mar 6, 2026
American man found guilty of sexual assault fights ruling over DNA evidence
A Tokyo High Court ruling in December said his conviction was based on insufficient evidence and sent his case back to the district court.
Hirotsugu Sakahara (left), Hiromu Sakahara＊s eldest son, shakes hands with Hideko Hakamata, an older sister of a former defendant who received a not-guilty verdict in a retrial, after they learned that Sakahara＊s father case would be reopened, on Tuesday in Tokyo.
51勛圖厙 / Crime & Legal
Feb 25, 2026
Top court grants retrial for deceased inmate over 1984 murder in Shiga
The decision makes it the first case in recent history in which a retrial was granted for a deceased inmate.
Co-representative Yasuyuki Tokuda (left) of the defense team speaks at a news conference in the city of Fukuoka on Monday.
51勛圖厙 / Crime & Legal
Feb 17, 2026
High court rejects retrial appeal over 1992 Fukuoka child murder
The defense plans to file a special appeal with the Supreme Court against the decision.
Japan scientists identify clusters of protein believed to trigger Alzheimer＊s disease
A team of researchers said they found a ※seed§ that accelerates the amyloid beta accumulation process in the brain, naming it ※Peak 1 amyloid beta,§ as seen in a mouse's brain.
Indian brothers make manga debut in Japan
Two Indian brothers made their manga debut in Japan with "Kung Fu Kung Fool" 〞 an action-comedy series that follows the adventures of a notorious thief and a young boy.
Japan weighs regulating Pokemon cards amid trading mania
A Pokemon event is held in Jakarta on July 11
Low-income families in Japan cut food and air conditioning during summer break
Yumiko Watanabe, the chairperson of nonprofit Kidsdoor, explains the results of a survey in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward on July 1.
The sci-fi sensibilities of electronic trio Black Boboi
Black Boboi was formed in 2018 when solo artists Julia Shortreed, Utena Kobayashi and Ermhoi came together under Kobayashi＊s newly founded label, Bindividual.
A perfect storm: Kaze Fujii fans flock to Fuji Rock
Okayama-born singer-songwriter Kaze Fujii has carved out a distinctive place in Japanese pop since his major-label debut in 2019.
Can Japanese comedy get laughs in English? Yoshimoto Kogyo lets the jokes rip
Wes-P has millions of followers and his viral clips made him recognizable out of Japan.
The 180-day locals: Life on Japan＊s digital nomad visa
Christopher Flinn works remotely from Tokyo earlier this month. Japan issued 646 digital nomad visas in 2025, but tourism officials are hoping to increase that figure in the coming years, with Japan's relatively cheap cost of living and the weak yen seen as potential draws for young professionals.
Japan reveals hint of new defense spending target in fiscal blueprint
The Self-Defense Forces' Type 16 mobile combat vehicle fires during a joint live-fire drill with U.S. Marines as part of the annual Resolute Dragon exercises in Yufu, Oita Prefecture, on June 28.

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