Gov't, prefecture ordered to pay family of man acquitted of 1985 murder

A lawyer for the plaintiffs holds up a banner on July 27, 2026, declaring victory in front of the Fukuoka High Court, after it ordered the central government and Kumamoto Prefecture to pay damages to the surviving family of a man who was acquitted of a 1985 murder. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo Image: Kyodo crime Gov't, prefecture ordered to pay family of man acquitted of 1985 murder Today 06:03 am JST Today | 07:18 am JST 0 Comments FUKUOKA A Japanese court on Monday ordered the central government and Kumamoto Prefecture to pay damages totaling 23 million yen ($141,000) to the surviving family of a man who was convicted of a 1985 murder in southwestern Japan before eventually being acquitted in a retrial. The Fukuoka High Court said the interrogation conducted by the local police prior to Koki Miyata's arrest was illegal as it was based on preconceptions, aimed at eliciting a confession, and exceeded the limits of what was permissible for questioning on a voluntary basis.

Miyata was initially given a sentence of 13 years in prison finalized in 1990 for the murder of his shogi partner Matao Okamura in Kumamoto Prefecture. He was released on parole in 1999, and the case was reopened in June 2016 when doubts were raised about the credibility of Miyata's confession. He was acquitted in 2019.

The decision comes after the Kumamoto District Court in March last year directed just the national government to pay damages to the family. The district court ruled that the prosecutors had been negligent during the trial as they failed to disclose some evidence but said there was no illegality in the investigation conducted by the prefectural police. Okamura, 59, was found dead at his home in Matsubase -- now Uki -- on Jan.

8, 1985. Miyata was arrested that month after initially confessing to the murder, but he later denied being involved during his trial at the district court. He died in October 2020, a month after filing the compensation lawsuit against the state and prefectural government.

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