A Japanese police department has apologized for wrongly arresting a man who died in custody without being granted bail, citing “doubts” about his guilt. Shizuo Aishima, 72, was accused of exporting sensitive equipment capable of producing biological agents between March and June 2020. Despite filing eight bail requests, all were denied, and he eventually received treatment while still in detention.
A report by the police concluded that dysfunction in the investigative chain of command led to the wrongful arrests, which also included two others. The apology comes after a Tokyo High Court ruling in May found the arrests and indictments illegal and ordered damages payments of 166 million yen ($1.13 million) to be paid by the metropolitan government and state.
Aishima died in February 2021 due to stomach cancer, discovered while he was in detention. The prosecutors withdrew indictments for Aishima’s co-accused in July 2021 after doubts about their guilt arose.
Source: https://english.kyodonews.net/articles/-/59769