The Saitama Prefectural Police chief told an internal gathering last month that a 2000 report in which the force admitted it improperly handled the case of a college coed who had been stalked and murdered was "inaccurate" in that the National Police Agency ordered him to accept blame, it was learned Tuesday.
Chief Tadayoshi Shigeta, 51, said in a police meeting on Feb. 13 -- just before a district court awarded damages to the parents of Shiori Ino because of police negligence -- that he had been ordered by the NPA to admit the force's fault, according to minutes of the meeting.
Shigeta went on to say Ino's parents "may appeal the ruling if they are unable to obtain a sufficient amount of compensation," the minutes show.
Sadakazu Tanigaki, chairman of the National Public Safety Commission, told reporters that Shigeta's remarks were "inappropriate." The chief himself issued a statement apologizing for his earlier statement.