Police, prosecutors apologize to 2 men over illicit probe
Tokyo police and prosecutors on Friday apologized in person to two men over their wrongful arrest and indictment in 2020 in a case involving the suspected unauthorized export of sensitive equipment.
The apology comes after the finalization last week of a Tokyo High Court ruling that ordered the metropolitan government and state to compensate Masaaki Okawara, president of Ohkawara Kakohki Co., and Junji Shimada, one of the company's former directors.
Tetsuro Kamata, deputy superintendent general of the Metropolitan Police Department, and Hirohide Mori, head of the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office's public security bureau, apologized for the stress the men had to undergo due to the investigation during a visit to the head office of the Yokohama-based machinery maker.
Okawara, 76, who was detained for nearly a year, said in response, "It would have been better if the apology had come much earlier."
The family of Shizuo Aishima, a former adviser to the company who died in February 2021 at age 72 after falling ill during detention, was not present during the meeting.
In a statement issued through their lawyer, the family said they "cannot accept an apology under the current circumstances."
During the meeting, Kamata mistakenly called Shimada, 72, "Yamamoto," while Mori also referred to the company by the wrong name.
Kamata told reporters afterward that authorities failed to thoroughly investigate the case, which involved the export of spray-drying apparatus that investigators suspected could be used in the process of making biological weapons.
"We will review (the case) carefully without preconceptions," he said.
The company has been seeking a third-party review of the investigation, but the police and prosecutors have expressed reluctance to accept such a probe.
Okawara, Shimada and Aishima were arrested and indicted between March and June 2020 on suspicion of exporting spray dryers capable of producing biological agents without authorization. But the prosecutors withdrew the indictment in July 2021.
In late May, the Tokyo High Court ruled the investigation of the three men was illegal and ordered the metropolitan government and state to pay about 166 million yen ($1.14 million) in damages to the plaintiffs.
Related coverage:
Compensation by Tokyo gov't, state finalized over illicit probe
High court orders Tokyo gov't, state to compensate for illicit probe
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