Latest news with #Okawara
Asahi Shimbun
21-06-2025
- Asahi Shimbun
Apologies issued to falsely accused firm; but too late, says president
Hirohide Mori, far left, from the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office, and Tetsuro Kamata, deputy superintendent-general of the Metropolitan Police Department, apologize to Masaaki Okawara, second from right, and other Ohkawara Kakohki Co. officials on June 20. (Tetsuro Takehana) High-ranking law enforcement officials in Tokyo apologized to past and current executives of a company that manufactures spray dryers for dragging them through an investigation that a high court concluded was illegal. Tetsuro Kamata, deputy superintendent-general of the Metropolitan Police Department, was joined by Hirohide Mori, head of the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office's public security division, in the June 20 mission to set matters straight. The first part of the June 20 meeting at the Yokohama headquarters of Ohkawara Kakohki Co. was open to the media. Kamata apologized for the psychological burden placed on Masaaki Okawara, the company president, and Junji Shimada, a former executive, by the investigation, while Mori begged forgiveness for acting on the request by prosecutors to hand down indictments and detain the pair. A third individual who was indicted died before his name was cleared. Okawara said the apology should have been made much earlier and added, 'I want your organization to become one where such things never happen again.' But the meeting did not go smoothly. Kamata at one point referred to Shimada as 'Yamamoto' and Mori also mixed up the name of the company. Bereaved family members of the late Shizuo Aishima, a company adviser, refused to attend the June 20 meeting on grounds they could not accept an apology unless the root cause of the miscarriage of justice was made clear. Tsuyoshi Takada, a lawyer representing the company officials, briefed reporters about what transpired during the part of the meeting closed to the media. Takada said an apology was offered on behalf of Takako Tsukabe, the prosecutor who was in charge of the case that led to the indictments. In her apology, Tsukabe said more care should have been taken before deciding to hand down indictments. But in her testimony during the lawsuit brought by Okawara and his fellow plaintiffs, Tsukabe said she would have made the same decision and felt no mistake had been made. In 2020, Okawara and his two colleagues were arrested and indicted on suspicion of violating the Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Law for exporting spray-drying machines that could be used for military purposes without a license. They were accused of exporting spray dryers without obtaining government permission. But before the case went to trial in 2021, prosecutors dropped the charges, having come to the realization that the plaintiffs were probably correct in their claim that the equipment was not subject to export restrictions. In May, the Tokyo High Court increased the compensation police and prosecutors were ordered to pay and ruled that the investigation was illegal because there was no rational basis for making the arrests and indictments. (This article was written by Koichi Fujimaki and Hiraku Higa.)
Kyodo News
20-06-2025
- Kyodo News
Police, prosecutors apologize to 2 men over illicit probe
KYODO NEWS - 2 hours ago - 20:13 | All, Japan 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
Kyodo News
20-06-2025
- Kyodo News
Police, prosecutors apologize to 2 men over illicit probe
KYODO NEWS - 3 minutes ago - 20:13 | All, Japan 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
Asahi Shimbun
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Asahi Shimbun
Apology fails to dissipate anger, grief of falsely accused firm
The eldest son of Shizuo Aishima, former adviser to Ohkawara Kakohki Co., right, speaks at a news conference on June 11 in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward. (Shota Tomonaga) For a Yokohama-based company falsely accused of exporting equipment that could be used to make biological weapons, the apology that officials had long sought finally came. However, anger and disappointment remain as one of the accused officials has passed away and the clock cannot be turned back to undo the damage. Five years and three months have passed since the arrest of three officials of Ohkawara Kakohki Co., a manufacturer and exporter of spray dryers, in March 2020. Their fight against the illegal investigation reached a major milestone on June 11 when the police and prosecutors declined to appeal a court ruling that the prosecution and arrests were illegal, and the award of damages to the three plaintiffs. The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department also issued an apology. 'It's finally over. It's all over now. The word 'apology' has finally been uttered,' Masaaki Okawara, 76, the president of the company, said at a news conference. Since the Tokyo High Court ruled on May 28 that the investigation was illegal, Okawara and other plaintiffs had urged the MPD and the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office not to appeal the case. More than 40,000 signatures were collected online in support of their effort. 'So many people are saying, 'It is not right to appeal,'' Okawara said. 'I thought I had no choice but to ask them to make up their minds' to abandon the appeal. Junji Shimada, 72, a former board member of the company, said, 'The clouds in my mind have cleared. It has been seven years since we faced a criminal investigation. It's finally cleared up.' Shizuo Aishima, a 72-year-old former company adviser, was arrested and indicted along with Okawara and Shimada. Aishima was diagnosed with stomach cancer while in custody and died before the prosecutors withdrew the indictment. Shimada said he and Aishima promised each other when they submitted to voluntary police interviews, 'Let's have a drink together when this is over.' Before going to the news conference on June 11, Shimada visited Aishima's grave and in front of the marker, he said he fulfilled the promise. APOLOGY CAME 4 YEARS LATE At the news conference, a number of questions were raised about the response of the police and prosecutors. By not appealing the Tokyo High Court ruling, the award became finalized. In response, the police and prosecutors announced that they will conduct a review of the investigation at that time. However, no third-party person is included in the police and prosecutors' verification teams. Neither organization has estimated how long it will take to verify the investigation. Tsuyoshi Takada, a lawyer representing the plaintiffs, said, 'Internal verification is highly questionable in terms of transparency and fairness.' He said that the company will continue to seek verification by a third party. The police and prosecutors also indicated their intention to apologize directly to Okawara and others in the future. But Aishima's eldest son, 51, who attended the news conference, angrily said, 'By right, they were supposed to apologize three years and 10 months ago, when they withdrew the indictment.' The grieving son said, 'Time has passed, but my anger has not dissipated.' 'I can no longer tell my father that (they abandoned the appeal). I want them to turn back the clock.' POLICE ADMIT FLAWED INVESTIGATION Representatives of both the MPD and the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office spoke to reporters on June 11. Hiroshi Nakashima, head of the Public Security Bureau of the MPD, said, 'At the very least, there was a problem with the conduct of the investigation.' He said, 'There is no doubt that the investigation was not thoroughly conducted in a precise and appropriate manner, and we will examine the situation.' He also said he 'will make arrangements as soon as possible' to offer a direct apology to those involved. Junichiro Kan, a counselor in the MPD who is in charge of overseeing the verification team, said, 'We will proceed as quickly as possible under the guidance of the inspectorate division,' and that punishment will be considered 'based on the results of the review.' On the other hand, Takashi Shinkawa, deputy chief prosecutor of the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office, explained to reporters the reasons for abandoning the appeal for about 45 minutes. Shinkawa said, 'We take very seriously the fact that the detention request and prosecution were found illegal twice in the lawsuits.' However, Shinkawa declined to give details about reviewing the case, citing that the Supreme Public Prosecutors Office, a higher authority, will conduct the review. Hiroshi Yamamoto, deputy chief prosecutor of the Supreme Public Prosecutors Office, also spoke to reporters. Yamamoto said that he will lead the review process, but that the scope of the interviews has not been specified at this stage. VOW TO NEVER HAPPEN AGAIN Yoshinobu Kusunoki, commissioner-general of the National Police Agency, spoke about the case at a news conference on June 12. 'It is extremely regrettable that the plaintiffs and other parties involved have suffered so much hardship and burden, and that public trust in the police has been undermined, and the National Police Agency takes this matter very seriously,' he said. He said the NPA will ensure that a similar illegal probe will not be repeated in future investigations by the public security bureau of the police. On June 11, the NPA issued a notice to each prefectural police urging them to ensure that they conduct precise and proper investigations and that senior officers take the lead in investigations conducted by the public security bureau. Regarding the probe of the case to be conducted by the MPD, Kusunoki said that the NPA 'will provide the necessary supervision to ensure that it is conducted properly.' Based on the results, the NPA will also compile points to keep in mind in investigations and measures to prevent a recurrence, and will strengthen and thoroughly instruct prefectural and metropolitan police, he said. (This article was compiled from reports written by Noriki Nishioka, Saori Kuroda, Hiraku Higa, Koichi Fujimaki, and senior staff writer Shimpachi Yoshida.)
09-06-2025
Ohkawara Pres. Asks Tokyo Police Not to Appeal Damages Suit Ruling
Tokyo, June 9 (Jiji Press)--The president of Japanese spray-dryer maker Ohkawara Kakohki Co. on Monday asked the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department not to appeal the recent ruling by Tokyo High Court that found the MPD's investigations into the company illegal and ordered the payment of damages. The 76-year-old president, Masaaki Okawara, visited the MPD headquarters in central Tokyo, handing in documents requesting that the truth about the false accusations be revealed and that the police officers involved in the investigation be punished strictly. He was arrested by the MPD's Public Security Bureau in 2020 along with two others of the company, based in Yokohama, south of Tokyo, for allegedly exporting without permission a spray dryer that could be repurposed to weapons production in violation of the foreign exchange law. They were indicted later that year but the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office withdrew the indictments the following year, saying that doubts had arisen about whether the spray-dryer in question was among the products subject to export controls. Also on Monday, Okawara submitted to the MPD some 41,400 online signatures collected since May 29, the day after the high court ruling was handed down, calling for the ruling not be appealed. According to informed sources, the central and Tokyo metropolitan governments are not planning to appeal the ruling. The deadline for filing an appeal is Wednesday. [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
