NAGOYA (Kyodo) The Nagoya District Court acquitted a 38-year-old man Tuesday in the kidnap-slaying of a 22-month-old boy.

Masaki Kawase stood accused of taking Sho Murase out of his father's car in a parking lot in Toyokawa, Aichi Prefecture, on July 28, 2002, and hurling him from a pier into the sea, where he drowned.

Presiding Judge Shinichiro Ito ruled, however, that there was "reasonable doubt" in the case.

"No evidence, such as the boy's hair, has been found from the defendant's car, and it can be assumed the boy was not taken into it," the judge said.

"There is no objective fact that points to Kawase as the perpetrator, nor did he reveal a secret" that only the perpetrator would know, Ito said.

Kawase maintained his innocence throughout the trial, which started July 17, 2003, saying he confessed once during intense police interrogation. Prosecutors had sought an 18-year prison term.

The judge acknowledged it was possible that investigators had pressured Kawase into confessing.

"I believe we conducted a proper as well as necessary investigation to the full extent," said Fumihiko Ishikawa, a senior Aichi Prefectural Police official in charge of criminal investigations.

After his release, Kawase said he is happy to have been cleared of the charges and that his two years and nine months in detention was long and difficult.

"I'm grateful that I'm innocent," he said.

Kawase was arrested in April 2003 after confessing to police but denied his guilt when interviewed by defense lawyers.

"I'm truly disappointed by the ruling," the victim's father, Jun Murase, 28, said after the ruling.

"It's hard to accept the ruling, but I also feel that investigators could have done more," said Murase, who was aware that Kawase's confession was the only evidence in the trial.