The April 14 article "Ex-justice taps body for easy loan, raise" reports that retired Supreme Court Justice Yasukazu Kagawa helped himself to a non-repayable "loan" of ¥15 million (of taxpayers' money) and doubled his monthly salary to ¥1 million (of taxpayers' money). The official verdict of the Justice Ministry-linked public service body that he heads, and that provided him the money, was that nothing illegal occurred.
The following day, the article "Guilty — of stealing ¥2.5 in electricity" reports that the Osaka District Court convicted an unemployed man, Yasumasa Hirai, for stealing ¥2.5 worth of electricity and sentenced him to a year in prison, suspended for three years.
Ah, the wonderful world of the Japanese judicial system! Charles Dickens himself couldn't have made it up.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.