On Wednesday three lawyers serving as prosecutors appealed a lower court ruling that had acquitted former Democratic Party of Japan chief Ichiro Ozawa of violating the Political Funds Control Law to the Tokyo High Court. On April 26, the Tokyo District Court found him not guilty of conspiring with his secretaries to falsify financial reports of his political funds management body Rikuzankai.
The lawyers said the decision to appeal the ruling was difficult, especially because that means Mr. Ozawa will remain a criminal defendant despite his acquittal in the first trial. They claim they made the decision on the grounds that the district court made serious mistakes in evaluating the evidence.
Due attention should be paid to the peculiarity of the trial. The special investigation squad of the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office carried out an intensive investigation of Mr. Ozawa. The team first tried to charge him with corruption involving a general contractor. After that attempt failed, it tried to charge him with conspiracy to falsify financial reports of his political funds body. But this effort was derailed by insufficient evidence.