Overview

• The Otsu District Court concluded that Shiga Prefectural Police violated legal standards during Mika Nishiyama’s interrogation, which likely produced her coerced confession and led to her wrongful indictment.
• The court ordered Shiga Prefecture to pay damages to Nishiyama but dismissed her indemnity claims against the national government.
• Judges declined to rule on whether investigators exploited Nishiyama’s intellectual and psychological vulnerabilities as a “vulnerable suspect.”
• Nishiyama welcomed the court’s recognition of police wrongdoing yet voiced frustration over the failure to address protections for vulnerable defendants.
• Her legal team announced plans to appeal, seeking formal acknowledgment of state liability and tighter safeguards in police interrogations.