The Tokyo High Court on March 13 upheld a lower court conviction of three former aides of former Democratic Party of Japan chief Mr. Ichiro Ozawa for falsifying financial reports of his politician funds management body, Rikuzankai, in 2004, 2005 and 2007.
In the Rikuzankai case, Mr. Ozawa was indicted as well on a charge of conspiring with the aides for financial report falsification. Mr. Ozawa's acquittal was finalized after the same high court in November 2012 acquitted him, upholding the Tokyo District Court's April 2012 not-guilty ruling.
The development of the trial of Mr. Ozawa's three aides, who were given suspended sentences, coupled with the great political repercussions caused by the Rikuzankai case, underlines the need for the high court — and the entire judiciary for that matter — to examine whether their trial was fair.