The Tokyo District Court has dismissed an appeal filed by lawyers representing an accused serial rapist demanding that the court nullify a judge's order for the man to be detained, court officials said Thursday.
The judge decided Joji Obara, 48, must remain in jail, after police served him with a fifth arrest warrant Jan. 4 on suspicion of drugging and raping a woman last January.
The lawyers filed the appeal with a three-judge panel at the district court Tuesday. In it they said police are abusing their power to obtain multiple arrest warrants in an effort to keep Obara in a police cell so as to extract a confession from him, instead of sending him to a Justice Ministry detention house.
Police suspect Obara was involved in the July disappearance of Briton Lucie Blackman, who has been missing since July 1.
DNA tests show several strands of hair found at Obara's condominium may belong to Blackman.
Obara denies having anything to do with the hostess's disappearance.