On May 1, The Supreme Court dismissed an appeal filed by Kenkichi Kuwata,
a senior member of Yamaguchi Gumi gangsters. I must add the fact that
the case was a gallery of abuse of power--by police arresting him and
prosecutors indicting him, but the major problem in this case is that
one of the Supreme Court judges is married to a former chief of the
Kanagawa Prefectural Police.
Kanagawa police, one of the 47 regional headquarters of police authorities,
is sometimes mocked as the museum of police wrong-doings. For example,
there was an incident at Tobe police station a few years ago, in which
a police officer allegedly shot a former yakuza to death during an interrogation
at the police station. A civil trial was filed by the families of the
deceased seeking for compensation, and the Yokohama District Court issued
a ruling in favor of the families, meaning that the police was actually
responsible for the death of the former gangster. However, no criminal
charges have been filed in the case so far.
I must point out that the case is a result of an extremely abnormal
police jurisdiction, and the chief of the Kanagawa Prefectural police
is responsible for such a neglect. Therefore, no matter what sort of
excuses she would give us, a spouse of such a irresponsible person sitting
at the summit of the nation's judicial system, would no doubt pose serious
threat against the social equality that is supposed to be guaranteed
by law.
Traditionally, Japan's judicial system has always been lenient against
crimes commited by the members of the nation's law enforcement authorities.
Some analyze that the average length of a sentence for a crime committed
by police officer is only half as long as the "normal" criminal.
I believe this shows the total collapse of the "Equality under
the Law" in modern day Japan.
The May 1 sentence issued by the Supreme Court also showed that the
nation's judicial system not only incubates unfairness but also possesses
serious problem as an organization, which is judges' qualification.
This means that we should no longer expect the nation's courts to operate
as a part of the social system.
Rulings of the authorities, by the authorities, for the authorities
shall not perish from Japan.
Translated by Team Vixsen Manabu
Miyazaki ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
