{
  "id": 921658,
  "title": "Revisiting Retrials: Can It Save Wrongful Convictions? The Key Lies in Implementation\nThe scope of evidence disclosure: Don't allow \"worsening\"\n\nThe Ministry of Justice has been discussing the possibility of retrials , particularly focused on case where the suspect has been found not guilty, but new evidence has come to light. However, there are concerns that the current plan for evidence disclosure is too narrow.\n\nThe current system allows for retrials in cases where a defendant was found guilty, but there are concerns that expanding this to include cases where the defendant was found not guilty could undermine the finality of acquittals.\n\nExperts point out that the current plan for evidence disclosure only requires the prosecution to disclose evidence that they plan to use in court, but does not require them to disclose evidence that could be used to prove innocence.\n\nThey argue that this could lead to wrongful convictions, and that the rules on evidence disclosure need to be strengthened to prevent this.\n\nThe Japanese Federation of Bar Associations has expressed concerns that the current plan does not go far enough to prevent wrongful convictions.\n\nThey argue that the rules on evidence disclosure should be changed to require the prosecution to disclose all evidence that could be relevant to the case, not just evidence that they plan to use in court.\n\nThe Ministry of Justice is expected to finalize its plans for retrials soon, and experts are watching closely to see if it will address these concerns.\n\nThe issue has sparked debate among legal experts, with some arguing that the current plan is a step in the right direction, while others argue that it does not go far enough to protect the rights of defendants.\n\nThe government has faced criticism for its handling of wrongful convictions, and the issue is expected to continue to be a contentious one in the coming months.\n\nIn recent years, there have been several high-profile cases of wrongful convictions in Japan, including the case of Hakamada Iwao, who was wrongly convicted of murder and spent 48 years on death row before being acquitted in 2023.",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/15/story-921658",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-15T00:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Asahi Shimbun",
    "slug": "the-asahi-shimbun",
    "url": "http://www.asahi.com/articles/ASV8F24JSV8FUPQJ00HM.html?ref=rss"
  },
  "original_language": "ja",
  "account": null,
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}