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10 Most Famous Trials in Japan

Japan is an island on the east side of Asia. The country has a population of 125.8 million. It covers a dry land of about 377975.26 square kilometers. It consists of a total of 6852 islands. The main five islands are Hokkaido, Honshu, Kyushu, Shikoku, and Okinawa.

Japan is generally rugged, volcanic, and mountainous. The physical land appearance does not limit people to act as per their character traits. The millions of people in the country are guided by law and order.

There are courts of law in Japan that are divided into five ordinary courts. These are Summary courts, Family Court, District Court, High Court, and the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court has 14 justices and one chief justice.

The country has 62 prisons, 7 juvenile prisons, 52 juvenile classification homes, 52 juvenile training schools, 10 detention houses, 8 regional parole boards, and 50 probation offices.

This indicates that there is enough room for conviction as well as jailing wrong dowers.

The prison population of japan is 47064 prisoners. These are the people found guilty and now serving their time in prison as a punishment. However, the trials they underwent were different under some accounts.

1. The International Military Tribunal for the Far East (IMTFE)

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This is one of the most famous trial conducted in Tokyo. It isotherwise referred to as Tokyo Trial or Tokyo War Crimes Tribunal.

Of importance to note is that this was a military trial which was held on April 29, 1946.

The main reason was to try Japanese leaders who committed crimes against peace, conventional war crimes and crimes against humanity during the Second World War.

2. Vivian Bullwinkel Trial

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Among the people testifying about war crimes was Vivian Bullwinkel. This was in the International Military Trubinal.

She was an Australian nurse who survived the Banka Island massacre in 1942. She was a matron of Fairfield Hospital in 1977.

At the court in Tokyo, she was giving evidence before the War Crimes Tribunal. She was a nurse in the Australian Army Nursing Service (AANS).

Unfortunately, she was aboard the Vyner Brooke when it was attached by the Japanese soldiers. The vessel sunk and 21 of her fellow nurses were also killed.

Sister Vivian Bullwinkel, was the sole survivor of the Banka Island massacre in 1942. However, she retired as matron of Fairfield Hospital in 1977 and died in 2000.

3. The assassination of Ryoma’s trial.

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A month after the restoration of power, Sakamoto Ryoma who was the leader then was assassinated at Kyoto’s Omi-ya. This is a soy sauce shop and inn. He died together with his bodyguard, Yamada, as well as his friend, Shintaro Nakaoka.

The chief suspect, Kondo Isami was executed. Imani Noburo who was a former member of a rival pro-Shogun police force claimed to have murdered Ryoma.

However, there were doubts about the veracity of his confession. The identity of the killer has never been proven. This is one of the famous unsolved trials.

4. Sadamichi Hirasawa’s trial

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He was a tempera painter who had received a business card from a doctor, Dr. Matsui. Some months later, the card was used by a killer who impersonated the doctor. The killer claimed to be a doctor sent by the US occupation to vaccinate people against a dysentery outbreak.

16 people were vaccinated for the supposed antidote. Surprisingly, 12 of them died. The poisoner then disappeared. The police tracked the person who had recently received a card from Matsui. Sadamichi was the chief suspect.

After interrogation and torture, he admitted to being guilty. His defense claimed that the torture left him no option thus his admission of guilt was unreliable. He died in prison waiting for the justice ministers to sign his death warrant.

5. Miyazawa’s family murder

A family of four was killed in cold blood. Mikio Miyazawa, his wife, Yasuko, and their eight-year-old daughter, Nina, were stabbed to death. Their six-year-old son died of strangulation. They were attacked in their home in Setagaya, Tokyo.

Bizarrely, the killer spent several hours in the house. Took a nap on the sofa, used the house computer, drank barley tea, and other things. Before he left, he changed his clothes. He left the clothes well folded along the weapon used.

All these were used to track him. It was found out that he was of a mixed race. Sand particles found led the investigators to Edwards Air Force Base California. In addition, there was a skate park in Japan mentioned in the investigation.

Despite all this evidence, the criminal continues to be on the loose escaping justice. A reward of 20 million Yuan has been offered to anyone with information leading to his arrest.

6. Poisoned milk murder trial

A young man was working for the then state-owned Japan National Railway. He ordered milk for his family. After drinking, the entire family died of food poisoning. A neighboring woman came forward.

She confessed that she was responsible for the deaths for she had intoxicated the milk by adding pesticide in the milk. The woman’s husband was also a worker in the Japan National Railway. There is a slight belief in pre-existing differences between the families. The woman was found guilty and the court charged her accordingly.

7. Murder of Yoshinobu Murakoshi

After he failed to come home one evening, the family received a phone call after some days. The person on the other side was demanding a ransom. Police failed to apprehend the person who collected the ransom.

The case generated massive publicity. The child was reported and found dead. Two years later, Tamotsu was identified as the man behind the evil commitments. He was taken to a court of law where he was found guilty and executed with immediate effect.

8. 300 million heist

A lone robber impersonating a police officer stopped a bank vehicle. Onboard, there were 4 bank employees transporting bonuses. He convinced them that their cash-laden vehicle was about to blow. As the bank employees run for their safety, he got into the car and drove away.

Two weeks earlier, the manager of the bank had received several bomb threats. The information had circulated that all employees knew. When the robber told them about blowing, they believed him.

The heist was next to Fuchu prison where the employees went to take cover in case of the explosion. The robber transferred the money from the van to different stolen cars, one after the other, to cover his tracks.

The conducted investigation was fruitless. They concluded a list of more than 100,000 suspects. All effort made for the robber’s capture was in vain. The case expires at long last.

Some years after the police gave up, the criminal has been free to tell his story without fear of legal repercussions.

9. Teenage gunman trial

An 18-year-old Misao Katagiri goes on a rampage with a rifle. He shoots two police officers in Zama city, Kanagawa. He also hijacks several cars. The police trace him for days. They happen to get him in a gun store. Taking him was not an easy task.

A gun battle between him and hundreds of special police ensues. He is suppressed and arrested. In the court of law, he is accused and found guilty in the trial. He is sentenced to death.

10. Kenneth Gadson Franklin’s trial

He was accused of raping and killing a 20 years old girl, Rina Shimabukuro. Kenneth was a former Marine and civilian contractor who worked at Kadena Air Base. This case prompted renewed protests against the United States Military presence in Okinawa.

Gadson Franklin was found guilty. The court sentenced him to life imprisonment.

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The above are some of the most major and famous trials in Japan. Some are interesting, others surprising. The courts have been working extra hard to bring justice and equity to everyone.

However, there are some cases and trials that remain unsolved for particular reasons.