The Supreme Court said Tuesday it has upheld a suspended prison sentence for a former senior health ministry official who was convicted for his failure to prevent the use of HIV-contaminated blood products in the 1980s that resulted in the death of a patient.
The top court turned down an appeal by Akihito Matsumura, 66, former director of the biologics division of the old Health and Welfare Ministry.
Justice Yuki Furuta, who presides over the top court's Second Petty Bench, found that Matsumura neglected to perform his duty and failed to stop the use of contaminated blood products.