The Tokyo High Court dismissed appeals Tuesday by two gang members found guilty of inflicting bodily injury on movie director Juzo Itami in 1992.
The court upheld a decision by the Tokyo District Court, which had sentenced the gang members to prison terms of five and six years. Presiding Judge Tadaharu Kanda said there is no problem of credibility in statements made by those concerned about the defendants' involvement in the attack on the movie director.
According to the decisions handed down by the lower and appellate courts, Ikeda and the other defendants conspired to attack Itami, who had directed the movie "Minbo no Onna." The film dealt with ways to combat mob extortion activities.
Itami was cornered and attacked in front of his home in Tokyo's Setagaya Ward on the night of May 22, 1992. He suffered injuries that required three months of treatment.
One of the defendants, Mitsuru Ikeda, 41, a senior member of Goto Gumi, an underworld group affiliated with the Yamaguchi Gumi, was sentenced to six years in prison. The other, Takao Mikuni, 48, a leader of another criminal gang under the umbrella of Goto Gumi, was sent to prison for five years.