Kanazawa, Ishikawa Pref. –

A Japanese high court branch on Friday acquitted a 60-year-old man in a high-profile retrial over the 1986 murder of a 15-year-old junior high school girl in the city of Fukui.

The acquittal of Shoshi Maekawa, who was previously found guilty and served a prison sentence for the crime, was handed down by the Kanazawa branch of the Nagoya High Court, presided over by Judge Keisuke Masuda.

In the country, since the end of World War II, at least 21 individuals in 19 cases, including Maekawa, have been acquitted for murder in retrials.

Evidence newly disclosed by the prosecution played a decisive role in the latest ruling. This is likely to influence discussions on the retrial system, including setting rules for evidence disclosure.

Maekawa has consistently denied the charges. His court battle centered on the credibility of testimonies from six acquaintances who claimed to have seen him with blood on him, as there was no direct evidence linking him to the crime.

Investigation documents disclosed for the first time in the retrial showed that a television program one witness claimed to have seen on the night of the incident was aired on a different day.

In deciding last October to grant a retrial, the Kanazawa branch said that the revelation "raised serious doubts about the credibility of the statement and undermined the basis for the guilty ruling."

The prosecution was criticized for failing to correct the error before the conviction, despite having known about it.

In the first hearing of the retrial this March, the defense argued that the case was a miscarriage of justice, claiming that investigative authorities had failed to follow up on leads and had improperly induced acquaintances based on false testimony.

Prosecutors sought a guilty verdict again, saying that "the testimonies of the six witnesses supported each other."

Maekawa was arrested in 1987. The Fukui District Court found him not guilty, questioning the credibility of the testimonies.

But the Kanazawa branch overturned the ruling and sentenced him to seven years in prison, which was finalized by the Supreme Court.

After serving his sentence, Maekawa sought a retrial. This was initially granted in 2011 but revoked by the Nagoya High Court, prompting him to file again for a retrial in 2022.