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Japanese court orders state, Tokyo to pay damages over wrongful investigation

TOKYO - A Japanese court has ordered the central and Tokyo Metropolitan governments to pay damages over the wrongful arrests and detention of three people suspected of involvement in what they considered to be illegal exports.

Ohkawara Masaaki, who heads chemical machine maker Ohkawara Kakohki, and others sued the two governments, demanding the payment of damages worth over 500 million yen, or about 3.5 million dollars.

In the ruling handed down on Wednesday, Tokyo District Court's Presiding Judge Momosaki Tsuyoshi noted that investigations conducted by Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department were illegal. He pointed out that the indictment made by prosecutors was also illegal.

Momosaki ordered that damages totaling over 162 million yen, or about 1.1 million dollars, be paid to the plaintiffs. ...continue reading

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