The Tokyo District Court found a 32-year-old man not guilty Monday of groping a 14-year-old junior high school girl aboard a Tokyo commuter train, based on the testimony of a woman who was traveling in the same coach.
Presiding Judge Toshiro Fujii said the woman's testimony was "credible," stating that the accused was constantly moving his hands because he was trying to pull off his coat, which was stuck in the door of the train.
Prosecutors charged the man with violating a Tokyo ordinance against being a nuisance. They had demanded a four-month prison term.
The woman, who testified in court, had earlier told officers at JR Takadanobaba Station, where police investigated the incident, that the man did not grope the girl.
The judge also noted that the girl was very agitated at the time, adding that her memory of events was hazy.
The incident took place on Feb. 26 last year on a train traveling between Saginomiya and Takadanobaba stations on the Seibu Shinjuku Line.