Prosecutors drop case against all 100 recipients of ex-minister's bribes

Kawai and Anri are likely higher ranked than the supporters who received the money.

Naturally why would the prosecutors continue with their case against those higher in the food chain. Typical politics in Japan….

The decision is highly unusual in a case where the bribery suspect has pleaded guilty and many of the alleged bribe takers have admitted to receiving money.

'nuff said.

Indicting 100 suspects all connected to Suga makes him look bad. Also, it could lead to the suspects giving up other LDP cronies for unknown crimes in an attempt for a plea deal.

It is no telling how many were willing to flip or admitted to other crimes. I am pretty sure those last six holdouts probably had something over the other LDP members.

I also suspect that this prosecutor is about to get a mysterious unjustifiable promotion.

What about the new LDP plan to give out tons of money end of summer to buy votes to cover up their faults with vaccine and Olympics. same thing but legal on large scale.

New party line should be, "What's yours is ours and whats ours is ours"

Alright, all you taxpayers can calm down. It's just us Looters, doing the kind of dirt we Looters do best!

Why, would anyone express surprise, that the ruling class is not subject to the same laws as commoners.

The decision is highly unusual in a case where the bribery suspect has pleaded guilty and many of the alleged bribe takers have admitted to receiving money.

Japan gets the gold medal in bribery again!

What had happened to the, justice system that Japan was trying to sell to the world???

I thought China was bad.

One hand washes the other...!!

If your boss comes in stuffing money into your pocket while suggesting you do something, how many people will be able to refuse or call the cops on their boss?

"If an alluring young lady comes in stuffing her hand into your pocket while suggesting you do something, how many men would be able to refuse?"

Husband forgiven?

Disgusting, shameless, and not at all surprising for japans rancid “justice” system

it's been so many cases of no prosecution of 1st class citizens that people take it as a normal behaviour.

no doubt that people will appeal this decision, and the appeal will be rejected.

@Ascissor

Prosecutors drop ball

In Japan, prosecutors don't have balls.

Good old Japan shows it’s population that breaking the law is not a problem for the elites.

Utsukushii Nippon de wa nai ne

The special investigation squad of the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office concluded the recipients had no malicious intent on their part, saying that they were forced to take the money even if they refused or it was difficult for them to send away the then lower house lawmaker and senior member of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, according to people familiar with the matter.

To be fair, the story is a credible one. If your boss comes in stuffing money into your pocket while suggesting you do something, how many people will be able to refuse or call the cops on their boss? In legal terms, this means there is reasonable doubt that they even intended to receive the money as a bribe, which will make their conviction difficult.

Prosecutors drop ball

Only in Japan can you not be charged for things like bribery and sexual assault, even when admitting guilt, and then at the same time throw people in jail for years for a 1/2 gram of marijuana.

@igfklin

The rate at which prosecutors prosecute suspects arrested and referred by the police in Japan is 63%.

Would you mind giving the page of that quote? I've just downloaded the PDF of the book and searched for the number 63. It comes up 87 times. Not once in the manner you mentioned it?

"International average" is never mentioned in the book.

I'm not calling you a blatant liar, maybe you need your prescription checked.

Here's a real quote from the book.

Cases not prosecuted despite solid evidence of guilt are placed in the “suspension of prosecution” (kiso yu¯yo) category. In recent years about 40 percent of all adult Penal Code cases have been so designated...

Just over half of cases with overwhelming evidence are prosecuted.

Feel free to check the book, I didn't make this one up.

Of course dropping all the cases. How do you think of getting or remaining the position of a prosecutor? lol

If Trump, himself seriously compromised by serial corruption, ever gets wind of this, he'll start his whining again while turning green with envy watching the smug weasels of Wa getting away bigly with their sharp practices.

"The rate at which prosecutors prosecute suspects arrested and referred by the police in Japan is 63%.

which is close to the international average when the number of convictions is divided by the number of arrests "

Source

~The Japanese Way of Justice~(Oxford University Press)

The prosecution rate in Japan is 63% and in the UK is 8%.

It seems that the West is far more lenient on criminals than Japan.

Please note that there is not even a national demo against that case result.

Japanese consent to that bribery system.

Not a democracy.

A certain Carlos must have forgotten the brown envelope to his judge, hence the punishment.

Absolutely shameless! Cronyism at its absolute best. How is this not a national scandal?? Oh that's right because they all sleep in the same bed....

Democracy of Japan has been undermined gradually but surely year by year.

Japan's prosecution is equal to have tolerated bribery with conditions.

I've lived here long enough to know it couldn't have turned out any other way. Anything to do with any crime (or misdemeanor) related to finance or money in general is swept under the table here and tolerated across the board. Including things like small donations, attention from a major supplier of some product, etc.

Textbook example of a kangaroo justice that only belongs in African banana republics, but here we are in Japan!!!

self-follow up:

It's still possible (and in fact most likely) to press charge by setting up 検察審査会 a special inquiry panel on prosecutor's decision over the case.

検察審査会 the inquiry panel will likely be set up. Those bribed officials won't easily get away with the indictment.

市民団体が検察審査会申し立てへ ｜ 共同通信

https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/df7ad2d84c7e2c88519d6716f1e6128350a521d0

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you The Japanese Justice System!

See it in all its splendour and how it works for the corrupt and how they get away with all these crimes that normies like you and me would be jailed for even if we accepted a 2,500 yen bribe.

Come on now! These people ADMITTED to the crime of accepting millions of yen but still get to walk free?

That level of corruption and double justice is astoundingly shocking!

Mr. Kawai arranges bribes to help his wife get elected, and is found guilty and sent to prison for three years.

Mrs. Kawai receives the bribes, is found guilty, but gets a suspended sentence, doesn't have to go to prison, and get to keep her post in government!?

And the bribe takers also see the charges against them dropped. Looks like Mrs. Kawai is surrounded by fall guys who take all the punishment while nothing happens to her!

Again, another great example of Japan being no different to CCP and NK.

During the hearing, 94 of the 100 individuals had admitted to bribery and some said they had returned the money.

It's still possible (and in fact most likely) to press charge by setting up 検察審査会 a special inquiry panel on prosecutor's decision over the case.

検察審査会

検察審査会制度とは，国民の中から選ばれた11人の検察審査員が検察官の不起訴処分の当否を審査するもので，検察官の職務の上に一般国民の良識を反映させ，その適正な運営を図ろうとする目的から設けられたものです。

https://bit.ly/3yzkgxf

Comprising of 11 members selected at random (like jury) the Panel aims to direct the public prosecutor to review the case. The prosecutor can still reject the panel's request once, but cannot do so twice (thus must bring the case to the court).

Another "solution" for Hiroshima citizens may be to vote out all those corrupt officials through local elections.

@divinda

No, its par for course in Japan's old boys cronyism.

I can't agree with you on this. They forgot the usual apology and bow before being let off without punishment. This is highly unusual. That step is always included.

And again the Japanese (in)justice system as it’s best.

Bribes,corruption and silents are the winner in all this.

What a nice and just democracy I would say.

But knowing how apathetic and docile is the domestic population here nothing will ever change.

The decision is highly unusual in a case where the bribery suspect has pleaded guilty and many of the alleged bribe takers have admitted to receiving money.

Power and politics always trump "justice", but unlike in the past when corruption could be concealed, in today's "surveillance society" where even ruling elites can be "caught on camera", the governing classes simply brazen it out by rubbing their insolence and shamelessness in our faces with their arrogant self-entitled exemption from the very laws they enforce with draconian zeal on the rest of us.

Kawai, 58, was sentenced in June to three years in prison and a forfeiture of 1.3 million yen

And @James, those who post a pirated video can get up to five years in jail or a maximum fine of 5 million yen, or both.

Prosecutors drop case against all 100 recipients of ex-minister's bribes

in unrelated news.

All prosecutors involved in this case are calling their early retirement and will all move into new houses with their new cars In the driveway.

this in no way connected to the case that has just been dropped.

The rest of the world is laughing.

“The decision is highly unusual in a case where the bribery suspect has pleaded guilty and many of the alleged bribe takers have admitted to receiving money.” -

Blue blood has its privileges.

Unlike foreign CEOs...

The prosecutors dropped a bribery case against all 100 individuals? Seriously? all 100 of them?

Overloaded and overworked prosecutors just couldn’t indict a hundred suspects.

Yet in a recent high profile case, they held a person for 104 days and seemed to have the time to produce hundreds of pages of so-called evidence. I believe that this person was foriegn.

Wow the curruption is palpable!

Let us hope Japan's voters will be angry enough to dump the LDP.

We can hope, but history is firmly against us.

Japanese law at it's best, yet again.

Blue blood has its privileges.

S

Quote: "Anri's campaign was supported by then Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, now prime minister, and other senior LDP lawmakers."

And I am not surprised.

Let us hope Japan's voters will be angry enough to dump the LDP.

Classic example of CORRUPTION at all levels of a government.

The prosecutors had nothing to do. 94 of them had already pleaded guilty they just needed to be sentenced?

SURE, DO NOT ROCK THE BOAT as we say, since most members are one way or another receive bribes so why these 100 boys and girls?

Overloaded and overworked prosecutors just couldn’t indict a hundred suspects.

Except That Kawai, 58, was sentenced in June to three years in prison

Thats called a fall guy.

dropped a bribery case against all 100 individuals

So the score is:

-Law and Order: 1

-Corrupt Elites: 100

As usual one law for the so called elite and one for the rest of us.

Except That Kawai, 58, was sentenced in June to three years in prison and a forfeiture of 1.3 million yen by the Tokyo District Court for handing out a total of 28.7 million yen.

That makes no sense at all! Corruption is ok for prosecutors if it is done at a high enough level? Steal ¥10 be homeless it’s jail. What a totally dysfunctional system.

94 of the 100 individuals had admitted to bribery

So can we all commit crimes, plead guilty, and then be let off? No, that option is only for the "elites".

The decision is highly unusual

No, its par for course in Japan's old boys cronyism.

As usual one law for the so called elite and one for the rest of us.