The conviction of economist Kazuhide Uekusa, once a regular guest on television programs, for trying to look up a girl's skirt was finalized Thursday because he did not file an appeal.
Uekusa, 44, will pay a 500,000 yen fine and comply with the forfeiture of a small mirror that the Tokyo District Court said was used in the crime in its March 23 ruling.
Uekusa was convicted of attempting to look up the skirt of a high school girl by using the mirror on an escalator at JR Shinagawa Station in Tokyo on April 8, 2004.
Uekusa pleaded not guilty during court hearings.
He told the court that police mistakenly arrested him and he had the mirror was for grooming because he might have to appear on TV at any time.
Uekusa released a statement saying he would try to prove his innocence outside the courts, claiming it "is a fact."
"I had confidence in court justice. But I was betrayed," Uekusa said. He claimed he decided not to appeal because he found the court system works differently from the way it should.
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