Overview

• Three residents filed suit on July 10 in Kofu District Court seeking to hold Mayor Yuichi Higuchi personally liable for ¥71.8 million paid to the family of a municipal employee who died by suicide after excessive overtime.
• In Fukuoka District Court on July 11, defendant Junko Fukasaki admitted removing her daughter’s ventilator and causing her death; the trial concludes July 15 with sentencing set for July 18.
• On July 11, the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office indicted former Fuji TV manager Yoshitaka Suzuki on habitual gambling charges and Tokyo Summary Court issued a summary indictment against ex-announcer Kenta Yamamoto.
• Oita Prefectural Police reported a three-fold increase to 408 tips on suspect Yoichi Hatta in the Beppu hit-and-run case after distributing 20,000 leaflets across seven prefectures.
• Victims’ families and survivors marked past tragedies with a flower-offering ceremony at Tsukui Yamayuri-en ahead of the ninth anniversary of the 2016 massacre, and Kaori Oue delivered her first public lecture on the dangers of drunk driving.