Two former Niigata Prefectural Police officers pleaded guilty Friday to erasing a number of police traffic violation records last year upon request.
At the first session of their trial before the Niigata District Court, Norio Osawa, 60, and Nozomu Sonehara, 50, owned up to charges of illegally producing public electronic records and using them in violation of the Penal Code.
The charges, which were introduced into law in 1987, carry a maximum penalty of 10 years' imprisonment or a fine of up to 1 million yen.
Between May and October, the two jointly plotted to erase four people's records of traffic violations, including breaking the speed limit and driving the wrong way on a one-way street, according to the indictment.