Society

Man given 5-year term for shooting ex-agriculture minister over money trouble

Apr 08 (Japan Today) - A Japanese court sentenced an 83-year-old man to five years in prison on Tuesday for shooting a former agriculture minister and high school classmate with a gun and injuring him in the northeastern prefecture of Iwate last December while disputing over decades-old money trouble.

The Morioka District Court found Hisashi Takahashi, a local farmer, guilty of shooting Tokuichiro Tamazawa, 82, in his thigh and knee with a revolver last Dec 10 at the retired politician's house in Morioka, leaving him with non-life threatening injuries.

According to the ruling, Takahashi provided 10 million yen to Tamazawa's campaign in the lower house election in 1972. The defendant filed a lawsuit against Tamazawa seeking repayment in 2014, but it was dismissed the following year due to the statute of limitations.

"The defendant tried to resolve the money trouble by threatening the victim with a gun, and shot him after he became furious at the victim's unsatisfactory response," Presiding Judge Ryo Kato said when handing down the ruling.

Ishiba Shigeru elected LDP leader

Ishiba Shigeru has been elected leader of Japan's main ruling Liberal Democratic Party. The former LDP Secretary-General is now virtually assured of becoming the next prime minister. (NHK)

Hakamada Case Ends With Acquittal After 58 Years

The Hakamada case, a decades-long legal struggle, ended with an acquittal for Iwao Hakamada (88), who, along with his sister Hideko, fought for 58 years. Hakamada was suspected of the 1966 murder of a miso company executive’s family.

Japan launches information-gathering satellite on H2A rocket

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New Red Lights for Japan's Police Cars

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Over 300 New Geoglyphs Discovered by Yamagata University in Nazca

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