Tokyo, Aug 28 (AP) This week, Japanese police and prosecutors performed a rare gesture of apology by laying flowers and offering deep bows at the grave of Shizuo Aishima, a man who was wrongfully accused and who passed away from cancer while detained without adequate treatment.
The apology was directed towards Aishima, one of the three executives from Ohkawara Kakohki, a machinery company located in Yokohama near Tokyo, who were mistakenly arrested and charged in 2020 for allegedly exporting sensitive industrial equipment without authorization.
While in detention, Aishima, responsible for design and development, was diagnosed with stomach cancer. His lawyer submitted eight bail requests to secure medical intervention, all of which were rejected.
Ultimately, Aishima was transferred to an outside hospital, but the opportunity for effective treatment had passed. He succumbed to his illness in February 2021 at the age of 72, five months preceding the prosecutors' dismissal of charges against him and two other executives.
“We deeply apologise for our illegal investigation and arrest,” stated Tetsuo Kamata, deputy superintendent general of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department.
Hiroshi Ichikawa, the deputy chief prosecutor at the Tokyo District Prosecutors' Office, also visited Aishima's grave to offer prayers. He acknowledged that their unjust denials of his bail deprioritized crucial medical care. “We are so sorry,” he remarked.
The charges involving Aishima, along with company president Masaaki Okawa and former director Junji Shimada, were linked to the export of spray dryers, machines capable of transforming liquids into powders. The police contended that this equipment could be used for producing biological agents.
The company executives maintained that their equipment was not restricted by export regulations. In July 2021, prosecutors dropped the case due to doubts over the allegations' legality.
In September 2021, the company initiated a damages lawsuit against both the Tokyo metropolitan government and the central government.
The Tokyo High Court ruled in June that the arrests and indictment of the executives were illegal, assigning the Tokyo government and the state the responsibility of paying a total of 166 million yen ($1.12 million) in damages.
This ruling arrived a year after Iwao Hakamada, Japan's longest-serving death-row inmate, was exonerated following his wrongful conviction in a 1966 quadruple murder case.
“I accept your apology, but I can never forgive you,” Aishima's wife expressed to the officials at the grave.
She shared that Aishima had confessed he could not comprehend the reason behind his unfair treatment. (AP) SCY SCY
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