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Court dismisses woman's suit claiming husband killed himself over order to falsify gov't papers

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Was it ever going to go any other way. Courts are so morally bankrupt in Japan they should just be rubber stamp organisations for the LDP

5 ( +22 / -17 )

Very disappointing ruling.

13 ( +20 / -7 )

Murky indeed. We know something very rotten is at the heart of the system but the legal and media means of exposing it are absent.

11 ( +21 / -10 )

Despite a request from the wife, the court did not allow parties to question Sagawa and other ministry officials, saying it could reach its decision without such questioning.

Really now?

12 ( +17 / -5 )

"Apart from the moral responsibility Mr. Sagawa owes to (the plaintiff), he does not have a legal responsibility to apologize or explain" his actions, Presiding Judge Akira Nakao said

Akagi claimed that her husband, who was working at the Kinki Local Finance Bureau, died by suicide at age 54 after suffering severe mental distress due to Sagawa ordering his subordinates, from February to March 2017, to alter documents related to a heavily discounted sale of state-owned land in Osaka Prefecture to a private school operator with ties to Akie Abe.

Akagi refused to follow Sagawa's order but was forced to work overtime to falsify the documents and eventually began suffering from depression, according to the claim.

Wow! and the judge sees NO legal responsiblity when the man who killed himself was forced to work overtime to break the law by the defendant?? Well, should not come as a surprise to anyone who knows the power the people in the Finance Ministry have in this country.

-4 ( +19 / -23 )

The Abe rot just keeps on giving.

-2 ( +17 / -19 )

In denying Sagawa's personal liability, the court cited a law stipulating that the state is liable for damages if a civil servant inflicts damage due to illegal actions.

I’m just a layperson with no legal training, but it would appear to me that if a civil servant’s behavior extends beyond legal boundaries, the civil servant becomes personally liable for his or her actions.

For example, if a police officer intentionally shoots a member of the community, that officer’s behavior has extended beyond the legal boundaries and thus that officer should be deemed to be personally liable.

5 ( +9 / -4 )

Why are there so many things wrong with the establishment in Japan?

Forcing innocent people to break the law is a criminal act.

When it is conducted by state apparatus it is an act most foul and heinous!

4 ( +14 / -10 )

How on earth can you defend this decision? Obviously it’s a political and Real justice has no part in Japanese courts. Should that actually happen we would have lawyers and judges wandering around bumping into walls totally confused.

2 ( +10 / -8 )

Any other decision would be disrespectful to Abe, so that’s Japan Justice?, the more embarrassing it is the less likely you get justice. It’s no mystery why judges are shofar driven, couldn’t put on socks without help.

-3 ( +9 / -12 )

The ministry had admitted in 2018 that as chief of the ministry's Financial Bureau in charge of managing state assets, Sagawa directed officials to falsify and delete parts of the documents related to Akie Abe.

LDP bigwiwgs: Our underlings cover up our malfeasance of there own free will and will suffer all the consequences if they are caught doing it.

7 ( +12 / -5 )

the court cited a law stipulating that the state is liable for damages if a civil servant inflicts damage due to illegal actions.

Oh wow they have written a law to protect them selfs if they do anything illegal. sounds kinda similar to a 3 year statue of limitations for bribery. J-Gov stinks of corruption.

4 ( +8 / -4 )

Sagawa's testimony during the Diet session was a mockery of the investigation of Moritomo. Aso who was Finance Minister at the time, and Abe. both had Sagawa's back, and he knew it. In typical Japanese fashion, he resigned as a gesture of atonement, received his hefty severance and pension and since he was a "civilian" did not have to further testify before the Diet. Again, Japan is still cleaning up after Abe...

3 ( +8 / -5 )

An informative article by professor of law Muraoka Keiichi outlines how the bureaucratic appointment process for career judges produces conservative-minded benches that exercise little judicial independence:

https://www.nippon.com/en/in-depth/a06803/

This case and the ruling made by the judge in this case suggests that the professor is right on the mark.

8 ( +9 / -1 )

@Sanjinosebloid

“Courts are so morally bankrupt in Japan they should just be rubber stamp organisations for the LDP”

Completely ignorant of how law works. It’s the state that is liable for damages, not individual civil servants. The court just applied the existing law to the case. Mrs Akagi should have sued the government for damages instead of Mr Sagawa, a mere civil servant.

-3 ( +2 / -5 )

I love japan, I love the people, culture and food. But ask ordinary people about such politics, they look at their dirty feet and change the topic.

5 ( +8 / -3 )

More legacy from the dirty Abe admin and the man himself. Corrupt and dastardly.

4 ( +9 / -5 )

Why are there no righteous NGOs to help this woman in publicizing this travesty to print/online media abroad who could have a field day with Japanese justice today?

8 ( +9 / -1 )

The very foundation of the LDP was mired in corruption and the re-instatement to power of war criminals, so no one should be too surprised or taken aback by this ruling.

1 ( +8 / -7 )

An Osaka court determined Friday that a senior Finance Ministry official played a decisive role in the 2017 falsification of documents related to favoritism allegations against then Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, 

In denying Sagawa's personal liability, the court cited a law stipulating that the state is liable for damages if a civil servant inflicts damage due to illegal actions.

So falsifying documents relating to favouritism allegations is completely legal?? Brilliant, gotcha.

6 ( +8 / -2 )

Of course, the court would give such a verdict.

It would be more evidence of Shinzo's corrupt LDP!

It makes the LDP cover-ups that much harder!

-1 ( +8 / -9 )

Cricky - It’s no mystery why judges are shofar driven...

A shofar is the ram's horn blown like a trumpet during the temple ceremony for the Jewish holy day of Yom Kippur.

A chauffeur is the hired driver of a limousine or other vehicle that transports executives, government officials, or other so-called dignitaries.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

A totally broken justice system. It never did work, and never will work. And how could it? It evolved in the western culture, based on christian values like truth and honesty. Japanese values are different, and appearances are more important here. Japan needs a Japanese justice system that matches their values. Which might sound horrendous to us, but to their credit, I dare say Japan is safest country in the world (unless you are a foreigner in a detention center).

-5 ( +1 / -6 )

I was aware of the differences, it just ticked my fancy to see who got it. A chauffeur driven car is very different from a loin cloth clad dude blowing a horn, but; both are doing a very similar job.

-3 ( +1 / -4 )

Executives of financial ministry who cornered Toshio Akagi to suicide and defended Abe regime from scandal have all been promoted.

Covid19 measures in Japan are eased by demand from financial ministry, not science, and increases victim.

Now, The lives or democracy are most ignored in postwar Japan history.

-4 ( +4 / -8 )

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