A court ordered Wednesday a retrial for a deceased man who was convicted of murdering a 69-year-old woman in 1984 in Shiga Prefecture, endorsing new evidence and acknowledging suspicions that he was forced into a confession after being beaten by police officers.
The decision by the Otsu District Court in the prefecture quashed the Osaka High Court's ruling in 2011 that dismissed Hiromu Sakahara's plea for a retrial. Sakahara died the same year, and in 2012 his family filed a second retrial petition with the district court.
It is believed to be the first time a Japanese court has ordered a retrial sought by the family of a deceased convict.