Overview

• The Nagoya High Court Kanazawa branch overturned Shōji Maekawa’s 1995 conviction for the 1986 Fukui City schoolgirl murder and declared him not guilty on July 18.
• Judges concluded that one key witness gave false testimony and others were swayed by police suggestions, leaving the original evidence unreliable.
• Maekawa’s defense has urged prosecutors not to appeal, but the verdict remains provisional until the appeal window closes.
• Bipartisan lawmakers and the Law Commission are debating proposals to require full evidence disclosure and set stricter retrial timelines.
• Maekawa reunited emotionally with his 92-year-old father in Fukui, marking a personal milestone after nearly 40 years of legal struggle.