RocketNews24 » Jessica

The Sayama Incident: Kazuo Ishikawa’s half-century struggle against a wrongful murder conviction and Japan’s backward legal system

Jessica — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 18:30:26 +0000

In 1963, Kazuo Ishikawa was convicted of the murder of a high school girl in Sayama City, Saitama Prefecture. A member of the Buraku, Japan’s historical untouchable caste, Ishikawa grew up poor and uneducated, and the police built the case against him by taking advantage of his naivety, by capitalizing on social prejudices, and by manipulating an already unfair legal system to their advantage. Now 74, he is still fighting to clear his name and to make sure others have access to a fair trial.

The Case
On May 1, 1963, a female high school student disappeared on her way home from school. That evening, a ransom note was delivered to her home, but soon after a botched attempt to deliver the money allowed a possible culprit to escape, her body turned up in a nearby field, the girl having been raped and murdered. After a team of 40 police investigators failed to make an arrest, public pressure was mounting.

The police decided to investigate a local Buraku area on the off-chance the criminal was there. The burakumin as they are sometimes called in Japanese are not an ethnic minority, but a social one. In the feudal era, people who were cast out from society or engaged in professions considered unclean, like undertakers or tanners, lived in separate villages or ghettos. Even in modern times, they are negatively stereotyped as especially criminal and lazy.

The police picked up Ishikawa on an unrelated charge, as well as a few other youths from the Buraku district. Ishikawa was released on bail, but then they decided to go after him for the murder and took him into custody again.

The Substitute Prison System and Forced Confessions
Ishikawa was held in police detention for a total of 47 days, with access to his lawyer limited to five minutes at a time and subjected to 16-17 hour interrogation sessions.

This treatment is actually permissible under Japanese law. Detainees can be held under the direct police management for up to 23 days before formal charges are laid. After a warrant is issued, the police can hold a person for 72 hours without laying charges. If they deem that is not sufficient, they can apply for two 10-day extensions. However, if the person faces multiple charges, the charges can be dealt with separately and the process repeated over and over.

Keeping a suspect in direct custody makes things much easier on the police. In comparison with the rules governing a state detention center run by the Ministry of Justice, in police detention lawyers cannot be present in an interrogation, nor can it be videotaped or tape-recorded. There is no legal limit on the length of the interrogation sessions, nor is there a law stipulating that matters raised during interrogation have to be related to the charges. The ‘confessions’ are not actually written or dictated by the detainee but composed by the police and simply signed by the detainee.

During this time, the suspect is not legally guaranteed access to a lawyer, except in cases involving the death penalty–a provision that wouldn’t have helped Ishikawa anyway, as it was enacted in 2006.

While he was in custody, the police intimidated Ishikawa, threatening to arrest and prosecute his brother, the sole breadwinner in the family at that time, if he did not confess to the crime. They also misleadingly assured him that if he did confess, he could plea out to 10 years instead of getting the death penalty. Eventually, broken down by the long interrogations sessions and thinking he was protecting his family, Ishikawa agreed to confess.

“Things didn’t turn out the way the police had told me,” Ishikawa says. “I was sentenced to death, and my brother lost his job anyway, because people refused to employ someone related to a confessed murderer. My younger sister was harassed out of school. Those years in prison were really tough for me.”

Appeal After Appeal
Ishikawa was sentenced to death on March 11, 1964. On appeal at the Tokyo High Court in 1974, they confirmed his guilty verdict on the weight of his confession, although he had retracted it. They did, however, reduce his sentence to life. That case then made it to the Supreme Court, but no effort was made to investigate how Ishikawa’s confession was obtained or to look into unreleased evidence, and they upheld the verdict again.

In fact, there may have been exonerating evidence all along. Japanese law only requires that evidence used in court by the prosecution be disclosed to the defense. All other evidence can be withheld.

In Ishikawa’s case, a large amount of evidence remains undisclosed, as evidenced by missing sequential numbers in the evidence list. The defense has stated that they are willing to have any sensitive data in the documents blacked-out to protect the privacy of concerned parties and that they would be willing to examine this evidence only in the prosecutor’s office, but the prosecution continues to deny them access or even release a list of the types of evidence they hold.

A Prison Education
Ishikawa would eventually serve 32 years of hard labor in prison, but he says the time was not completely wasted. In prison, a guard taught him how to read and write, and this opened up a whole new world for him.

“My parents never told us anything about Buraku issues. I don’t even know if they ever even mentioned the word. They had to have known it, had to have some idea that they were from a Buraku, but they never told us anything about it,” he says.

“It was only after those years of study in jail that I learned that the things I had experienced as a child were something happening all over Japan. I learned that I was from a Buraku and that’s why my family faced such poverty and that’s why I went to jail for a crime I didn’t commit.”

Parole, but Not Freedom
In 1994, Ishikawa was released on parole, but still continues to suffer the stigma of a murder conviction as well as the restrictions of a parolee. He continues to make public appearances to talk about the case and to advocate for judicial reform and minority rights. Over 1 million people have signed a petition asking the government to retry his case.

In 2006, he and his defense team launched a third appeal for retrial. Focusing on exculpatory evidence such as the lack of any similarity between the handwriting on the ransom note and Ishikawa’s handwriting and the the fact that his fingerprints do not appear anywhere on it or the envelope, the team hopes that this final appeal will be successful.

“I am actually not asking the court to quickly give me a not-guilty verdict because I am innocent. I am only asking that the court review the evidence, and the truth will reveal itself in the process,” he said at the time.

Yet, it is now the 50th anniversary of the crime and nearly seven years after this most recent request for an appeal, but the court has not yet issued a decision. For Ishikawa, time is running out, but he says he will keep fighting.

“My time in prison was difficult, but… I connected with a movement that extends beyond me and affects the lives of thousands of people all over Japan. It is for these people as much as for myself that I fight for recognition of my innocence.”

Photos: RocketNews24, Buraku Liberation and Human Rights Research Institute, IMADR

Related Stories

Origin: The Sayama Incident: Kazuo Ishikawa’s half-century struggle against a wrongful murder conviction and Japan’s backward legal system
Copyright© RocketNews24 / Socio Corporation. All rights reserved.

Incidences of thyroid cancer on the rise among Fukushima children

Jessica — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 03:04:03 +0000

According to Kolnet, an online media source focused on the Tohoku region of Japan, the number of under-18s in Fukushima Prefecture diagnosed with thyroid cancer has increased to 12, while the number of possible cases has reached 15.

The numbers were released as part of an ongoing investigation by the Fukushima Prefecture Board of Health into the effects of the radiation released in the explosion at Tokyo Electric Fukushima Daiichi Power Plant in 2011. The investigation has examined about 174,000 adults and children from towns surrounding the crippled plant.

In the last report, made in February, there were only three confirmed cases of thyroid cancer and seven suspected cases.

According to a representative of Fukushima Medical University, which has been running the tests, they cannot conclusively link the incidences to Fukushima Daiichi, because although there were confirmed cases of cancer linked to the Chernobyl incident, many of these did not present until four or five years after or even later.

Some have pointed out that comparisons to the Chernobyl incident may not be particularly enlightening anyway, as intensive medical examinations into children exposed didn’t even begin until years after. Additionally, compared with that of Chernobyl, the population in Fukushima was exposed to less radiation, had more iodine in their diet, and had access to iodine prophylaxis, so the negative impact is expected to be much less.

However, according to one study that might be a more useful comparison, of 250 schoolchildren examined in Nagasaki in 2000, only 0.8% of them had thyroid nodules, of which none were found to be malignant. Additionally, the incidence of thyroid cancer in the general population is just one or two in 12 million children.

This suggests the numbers in Fukushima may already be high, and some experts believe they are even higher than the Board of Health investigation has claimed due to weaknesses in their methodology, such as not accounting for migration and not bringing children with small nodules in to be reexamined.

Source: Kolnet
Image: Light of Life Foundation

Related Stories

Origin: Incidences of thyroid cancer on the rise among Fukushima children
Copyright© RocketNews24 / Socio Corporation. All rights reserved.

Finally, proof that real-life Pikachu is feline 【Video】

Jessica — Thu, 30 May 2013 05:00:01 +0000

If you grew up with Pokémon, you probably spent years wishing deep down that they were real and you could have one. Let’s be honest, you still want one, no matter if PETA thinks you’re a monster for doing so. Well, a couple of guys from California went on the hunt to find a real Pikachu, not in the Viridian Forest, but around their neighborhood, and you might be surprised at what they found.

Turns out the real Pikachu not only looks feline, but has the voice and attitude to match. Take a look:

Admit it: risk of fatal electrocution or not, you want one, don’t you?

Great work, guys!

Source: YouTube, FinalCutKing

Related Stories

Origin: Finally, proof that real-life Pikachu is feline 【Video】
Copyright© RocketNews24 / Socio Corporation. All rights reserved.

Food Rage: Korean Deported Over In-Flight Ramen Brawl

Jessica — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 18:30:38 +0000

Over the weekend, a Korean businessman got into hot water when he complained about his in-flight meal on a trip to the United States. Apparently, he wasn’t satisfied with the taste of his ramen or with the service, and expressed his displeasure by assaulting one of the cabin crew. As a result, he was turned over to the FBI and prevented from entering the country.

Here’s what we know about this bizarre incident.

The man was a high-level official at a major Korean firm.

The incident took place on a Korean Air flight from Seoul’s Incheon International Airport to Los Angeles. The man is reportedly an official at Korea’s largest iron manufacturer, Posco. He was booked in the business class section.

The meal on offer that day apparently didn’t suit his taste, so the man called a member of the cabin crew to exchange it.

The man claimed the replacement ramen was too salty and only half-cooked. And then he attacked the crew member.

As a replacement meal, the crew member brought the man some ramen. This was apparently also not to his taste. He reportedly yelled, “Too salty and the noodles are half-cooked!” Then he struck the crew member across the face with a magazine.

On arrival, the man was turned over to the FBI and immediately sent back to Korea.

In addition to the assault, the man was reported to have been generally disruptive and rude. He claimed the crew had bumped into him, and also complained that it was too hot inside the plane. When a crew member offered him some ice water, he instead demanded a gin and tonic. When that made the crew member smile, he rudely said, “Don’t you laugh at me!”

When the incident was reported, the FBI was dispatched to meet the plane at the airport in Los Angeles. The agents took the man into custody, offering him to choice of being arrested and facing an investigation or immediately returning to South Korea. He chose the latter.

In response to the incident, Net users in Korea poured out their condemnation, saying, “That is just inexcusable,” and, “This is the company that says ‘your trust is our biggest concern’?” Parody images have also begun popping up and Korean netizens are trying to expose the man’s identity.

The Posco Group has published an official apology, but it appears the incident is not just going to go away.

Let this be a lesson to the ramen lovers out there: don’t let your passion for good ramen land you in hot water.

Related Stories

Origin: Food Rage: Korean Deported Over In-Flight Ramen Brawl
Copyright© RocketNews24 / Socio Corporation. All rights reserved.

Construction Worker Finds Human Skeleton During Road Repairs

Jessica — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 05:00:43 +0000

The picture above shows the kind of sound-deadening walls installed along the Tomei Expressway in Kanagawa Prefecture. Yesterday, a construction worker performing repairs removed one of the panels and got a grisly surprise: a headless human skeleton.

According to Kanagawa Prefectural Police, a 46-year-old male construction worker was engaged in replacing panels on the wall. He removed an outer panel about six meters up on the wall and found the skeletal remains behind it.

Since only the bones remained, it has not yet been possible to determine the sex of the victim. The head was also missing. The skeleton was discovered wearing a sweater and pants, but no shoes.

The walls are constructed with an inner and outer panel, leaving a 30-centimeter gap between, so it would be possible to access the gap from outside the highway.

Police are currently investigating to determine the victim’s identity and cause of death.

Source: MSN Sankei News
Image: Google Maps

Related Stories

Origin: Construction Worker Finds Human Skeleton During Road Repairs
Copyright© RocketNews24 / Socio Corporation. All rights reserved.

Huge Crack Opens in Shizuoka Hill, No Sign of Legions of Hell… Yet

Jessica — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 00:30:25 +0000

A 150-meter long crack has suddenly widened on the ground of a Shizuoka Prefecture tea farm, while officials evacuated six local households over fears of a landslide.

The crack was found on the slope of a tea plantation in Hamamatsu City, a hilly area where landslides can easily occur. Although it was originally discovered last month, it appeared to be unstable, and the houses nearby were evacuated on Sunday. On Monday, observers from the prefecture measured the crack at 150 meters long and 15 centimeters wide. Over the course of an hour, they saw it widen an astonishing 4 millimeters.

Today, a geological survey will be conducted in the area to assess the danger.

Scary stuff!

Source: NHK
Image: Hachima Kikou

Related Stories

Origin: Huge Crack Opens in Shizuoka Hill, No Sign of Legions of Hell… Yet
Copyright© RocketNews24 / Socio Corporation. All rights reserved.

Not So Smooth Criminal: Woman Tries to Pay With Obviously Photocopied Yen

Jessica — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 16:30:49 +0000

An unemployed young woman was arrested in Shizuoka Prefecture this week after she tried to pay at a convenience store with an obviously photocopied counterfeit bill. The master criminal’s excuse? “I was in a bind because I didn’t have any money.”

According to a police officer at the Fuji Police Station, the 20-year-old woman went into a Family Mart convenience store to pay for a mail order purchase. Her bill was several thousand yen, but she tried to pay with a 10,000 yen bill and get change.

The problem is that the 10,000 yen bill was clearly a fake. The manager was able to see at a glance that it was simply a photocopy with no hologram or other anti-counterfeit features, and he immediately called the police.

The arrested woman later confessed in her deposition that she decided to try the gambit because she didn’t have any money. No word on whether she actually expected to get away with it.

Source: MSN Sankei News
Image: Wikimedia Commons

Related Stories

Origin: Not So Smooth Criminal: Woman Tries to Pay With Obviously Photocopied Yen
Copyright© RocketNews24 / Socio Corporation. All rights reserved.

Nerd Fantasy: Play Your Favorite Online Game With a Hot Girl (For a Fee, Natch)

Jessica — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 12:30:26 +0000

A new service is gaining popularity among Chinese gamers. For the small fee of 15 yuan an hour (about US$2.40), you can play your favorite online game with a beautiful woman. Strait News reports that male game fans are calling it “good news.”

Tai is a third-year university student in Fuqing, Fujian Province. She works at a company that provides this service. The company employs eight people in total; five men and three women. Their main business is to play along with their clients on team strategy games like DotA Allstars and the wildly popular online game League of Legends, which now has over 3 million active accounts.

According to Tai, their customers can choose from an extremely skilled player from their staff, referred to as god-class, or one of the ladies, referred to as MM-class. MM is Chinese internet slang for mèimèi, meaning pretty girl, little sister or (gasp) possibly also vagina. Classy!

By choosing a god-class staff, the customer can get help clearing particular barriers or leveling up their character. By choosing an MM-class staff, the customer gets someone fun to play with who can keep them from getting burnt out.

Tai says by playing one to four hours a night, she can earn around 2,000 yuan a month (around $320). Definitely not a bad way to make some money, especially if you like gaming anyway.

Source: Record China
Image: Jin115

Related Stories

How Times Change: Japanese Men in Edo Period Not Interested in Breasts (NSFW)

Jessica — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 12:30:40 +0000

The above image, would you believe, is titled “Glorious view of Mt. Fuji.”

The image of sex in the Edo Period is that is was more uninhibited than it is today and that there was a whole lot more of it. This idea is based in part on the erotic woodblock prints, known as shunga, by artists of the period such as Kitagawa Utamaro and Katsushika Hokusai.

But one thing many people have noticed about shunga is the treatment of women’s breasts. In contrast with the minute detail lavished on the engravings of genitals and pubic hair for both men and women, breasts are often given little attention. The nipples are not colored and sometimes not even drawn in. What gives? Were men back then just not interested in waps?

News Post Seven asked Yoshihiko Shirakawa, an expert in ukiyoe woodblock prints with a deep knowledge of shunga, what was up with that.

“It appears that men of the Edo period considered breast to be a tool for child rearing,” he says. “They were not a sexualized part of the body. In shunga from the early Edo Period, men and women were depicted with largely similar chests. From the point of view of the artists, breasts really didn’t seem to matter.”

Breasts? What breasts?

So early shunga suggest that a grown man being interested in breasts was considered childish. Moreover, you won’t see any G-cups or H-cups in shunga. At most, you might find a B-cup or in rare cases, a C. In Edo times, being top heavy doesn’t seem to have been the fashion.

From the middle of the Edo Period, we begin to see some shunga that show breasts. However, there were often scenes where a mother was breastfeeding an infant while the man penetrates her with his fingers or hands, his focus only on the lower half of her body. This is also a reflection of Edo culture.

Don’t mind me, honey. Just do what you’re doing.

Says Shirakawa, “The fact that the detail is on the genitals or the penetration shows the attention to the needs of the viewer.”

It can’t be denied, though, that caressing the breast is sexually exciting. Some shunga artists, such as Kitagawa Utamaro, Suzuki Harunobu and their disciples, managed to convey this in their work, even if the prevailing view was that an interests in breasts was childish.

Utamaro in particular had difficulty concealing his fondness for breasts. He often depicted prostitutes boldly baring their chests or Kintaro, a legendary child taken in by a mountain witch, with his bare-chested adoptive mother. Showing the prostitutes gave the pictures an obscene touch, while the pictures of Kintaro and the witch racily mixed the mother/son and lover relationships.

But maybe it’s not as simple as saying that most men during the Edo Period weren’t aware of breasts’ sexual component. In shunga depicting sexual positions where the man is shown eagerly taking a breast in his mouth, the woman is shown with an expression of ecstasy on her face.

Biting on a cloth equals ecstasy in the shunga world.

“Isoda Koryusai, a painter in the Harunobu school, has a piece called Twelve Bouts in the Way of Love. A lover is shown taking a prostitute from behind while firmly grasping her nipple. The prostitute is murmuring, ‘That’s so good.’ This shows that even for a pro, the unexpectedness of a man caressing the breast added another level of pleasure,” says Shirakawa.

I guess some things really don’t change.

Source: News Post Seven
Images: Wikicommons, Brooklyn Museum, City of Lugano, Scholten Japanese Art

Related Stories

Classy Nerdism: Gallery Specializes in Otaku Oil Paintings

Jessica — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 12:30:25 +0000

If you’ve ever wanted to hang a classy oil painting of your favorite anime or manga character over the fireplace, it looks a gallery in Nagoya may have you covered. Gallery Egao, specialists in otaku oil paintings, get permission from the original artists to do oil reproductions of famous characters at their workshop in Fujian, China.

That gallery was opened by a company called Kobayashi Shoji, which has a lot of contacts with craftspeople in China. The company’s original business was creating oil replicas of famous paintings. Using this experience, they’ve created an offshoot company called pixiv to sell original artworks of illustrated characters. At present, they are working with ten individual artists from Japan, China and Vietnam to use their characters. The artists receive a usage fee in exchange for granting permission.

In order to expand their offerings, the company is currently seeking to strike deals with companies holding copyrights for well-known characters. For example, they say they have made a deal with owners of the popular game Touhou Project to create one large-scale portrait. Once the original artist has granted permission, the company can create reproductions for otaku fans without any trouble.

In fact, if you can obtain permission from your favorite anime or manga’s copyright holder, the company will be happy to commission an order-made portrait for you. Or if you yourself are an artist and would like to see your character immortalized in paint, they’ll be happy to do that as well.

Source: Netorabo (Japanese)
Images: Gallery Egao

Related Stories