Former Democratic Party of Japan President Ichiro Ozawa did not conspire with former aides to falsify financial statements in his political funding management body Rikuzankai in 2004 and 2005, the Tokyo High Court ruled Monday, upholding his not-guilty verdict.
But the legal victory is likely to have little positive impact on the political influence of the "shadow shogun," who left the DPJ to form his own party in July, with critics suggesting his clout is a thing of the past.
Ozawa, now president of Kokumin no Seikatsu ga Daiichi (People's Life First), maintained his innocence from the start.