Here are a selected few criminal cases that have come to court in the past year or so. I may add some more if I feel they are different from the ones here.

Hall Of Infamy

Infamous criminals, also, public officials and business men who have been found guilty or have pleaded guilty to corruption and other charges.

To Be Hung:

Haruyoshi Nishimoto was sentenced to death on February 26th 1999 for the murder of three people.

He committed the crimes in 1992 because he was worried about his business. So he decided to try and kill his business rivals, using a gun purchased from a gangster.

Relatives of the victims were also asking for Nishimoto to receive the death sentence.

The Supreme Court upheld two earlier rulings that Wasaburo Takada should receive the death penalty for three brutal murders carried out between 1972 and 1974.

Yojiro Nakajima

January 27th 1999

A Former Lower House L.D.P lawmaker has pleaded guilty to falsifying statements on the use of political subsidies, being bribed by Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd and defrauding the State (taxpayers) of 10 million Yen, at the Tokyo District Court on January 22nd 1999.

He has already pleaded guilty on January 7th, in his first trial hearing to providing 20 million Yen to his supporters, for buying votes during the 1996 elections.

He formally resigned from his post on January 12th.

Nakajima's grandfather founded the Airplane Research Institute, which later became Nakajima Aircraft Industries ltd. The famous World War 2 fighter plane, the Hayabusa Falcon was made there. It is now known as Subaru Automobiles, owned by Fuji Heavy Industries ! 

Kenichi Aitani

January 25th 1999

Kenichi Aitani, a 45 year old Buddhist “priest” was sentenced on 25th January 1999 to a suspended prison term. He was involved with an under age prostitute and was

found guilty in December 1997 and was fined 300.000 yen. 

He wished to appeal the case and went to the 17 year old girl to blackmail her into not revealing the truth about him, demanding that she sign a document saying that her previous statement had been false. He threatened to tell her family and school if she did not do as he wished, she refused. 

He was found guilty of threatening a witness and attempted extortion, but like politicians and bureaucrats he only received a slap on the hand, by the Tokyo

District Court!

Takehiko Isaka

December 24th 1998

A former Japan Public Corporation executive was given a 2 1/2 year suspended prison sentence for accepting bribes totaling about 7.2 million Yen.

He was fined 6.4 million Yen and 21 gifts were taken away from him. Many of the bribes were in the form of "wining and dining" from:

Nomura Securities, Nikko Securities, Daiwa Securities, Fuji Bank, Sakura Bank, Long Term Credit Bank of Japan and Industrial Bank of Japan.

In return for the bribes he gave preferential treatment to the companies, wishing to become the lead underwriters for the Highway Corporations overseas bond issue.

Yoshihiro Ozaki

December 24th 1998

The former Wakayama mayor pleaded guilty to bribery charges in connection with municipal hiring favors.

Nobutaka Tsumoto was chief of the secretariat for the city government, also pleaded guilty

to bribery charges.

Shigenobu Yano and his sister Etsuko Nishiyama were arrested for bribing the mayor to obtain jobs for their relatives.

A 14 year old boy

His name has been withheld due to his age. A 14 year old boy was arrested in Osaka for the premeditated murder of an 80 year old woman on December 22nd 1998.

Police said the murder was well planned. The boy wore gloves and a cap, to conceal his face. He had a bicycle waiting nearby, to make his escape after the murder. 

The boy murdered the woman for "pocket change", because he wanted to play video games. 

Police are asking the Family Court (the lowest court in Japan) to send him to reform school. The boy apparently,  shows remorse for his actions, perhaps, to gain a lower sentence in court!