A retrial has been ordered for Shoji Maegawa, 59, who was convicted of murdering a 15-year-old middle school girl in the city of Fukui in 1986.
The Nagoya High Court's Kanazawa branch ruled Wednesday that law enforcement agencies, facing investigative roadblocks, likely influenced witness statements through coercion, raising doubts about the integrity of the conviction.
Supporters gathered outside the branch erupted into cheers and applause when the news broke at 10:00 a.m. Maegawa emerged from the courthouse, embraced his legal team and expressed his deep gratitude to the crowd with a heartfelt "Thank you."
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