The Supreme Court dismissed Tuesday an appeal by a former liquor dealer charged with selling liquor without a license in the early 1980s, in violation of the Liquor Tax Law, and upheld his suspended prison term.
In the trial, appellant Takinosuke Furuichi, 68, pleaded not guilty to the charge, arguing that the licensing system violated the Constitution, which provides for "freedom to choose "
Presiding Justice Yukinobu Ozaki told the court that under the circumstances in which the case took place in 1982 and 1983, the licensing system cannot be deemed unconstitutional, although both pros and cons regarding its necessity existed when the level of liquor tax to total national revenue was on the decline.
Furuichi's conviction -- six months in prison, suspended for three years -- was thus finalized. According to the court, Furuichi sold about 270,000 liters of liquor, including sake, at a shop he opened in Shizuoka, Shizuoka Prefecture, between March 1982 and March 1983 without a license from the Shizuoka tax office chief.