The Metropolitan Police Department admitted in a report released Thursday that it made a "serious mistake" during its investigation into machinery-maker Ohkawara Kakohki, which resulted in false accusations involving weapons exports being made against company executives.
In the report, the MPD stated that the chain of command in the investigation by its Public Security Bureau was "dysfunctional, leading to a serious mistake."
In March 2020, the bureau arrested company president Masaaki Okawara and two other executives, alleging that the firm exported without permission a spray dryer that could be repurposed for weapons production. The Tokyo District Public Prosecutor's Office dropped the charges against them in July 2021, just before the first criminal court hearing on the case.
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