Prosecutors said Wednesday they will not file an appeal against a high court decision to reopen the 1995 case of a fire in which a girl died in Osaka, adding to the chances that a couple that had been convicted of arson and murder will be acquitted.

Keiko Aoki, 51, and Tatsuhiro Boku, 49, were released from the prisons where they were being held Monday after serving 20 years of their life terms for allegedly lighting a fire that killed Aoki's 11-year-old daughter, following the Osaka High Court's endorsement last week of a lower court decision to hold a retrial for the couple.

"I feel relieved that I can move further forward," said Boku. "I hope I'm acquitted in the retrial as soon as possible."