The Tokyo District Court on Thursday acquitted former Democratic Party of Japan leader Ichiro Ozawa of charges he violated the Political Funds Control Law. But the ruling shows that it is a bittersweet victory for Ozawa. He needs to pay careful attention to his behavior as a politician, and make every effort to play a constructive role, because the current political landscape is a bleak one where the light at the end of the tunnel for Japan's future and its people is not readily apparent.
In the course of the trial, it surfaced that a public prosecutor employed irregular methods in questioning Mr. Tomohiro Ishikawa, one of Mr. Ozawa's former secretaries and now a Lower House member. Prosecution authorities should examine themselves and make serious efforts to prevent the recurrence of questionable actions by their members, which could undermine the nation's justice system.
In February, the court rejected as evidence a key prosecution report of testimony made by Mr. Ishikawa. The report said Mr. Ishikawa asked Mr. Ozawa if he could falsify a report of Mr. Ozawa's political fund management body Rikuzankai, and that he received Mr. Ozawa's approval. The court at that time said that in getting this testimony, a public prosecutor with the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office employed "illegal and unjust" interrogation methods.