TOKYO (TR) – Newly surfaced video footage has exposed a prosecutor berating a 52-year-old fraud suspect, labeling him an “anti-social force” for exercising his legal right to remain silent, reports TV Asahi (May 11).
The footage, recorded five years ago inside an interrogation room at the Tokyo Detention House, captures a heated exchange involving Naoyuki Ikuta, the president of a solar power-related company who was indicted on fraud charges.
According to sources, the interrogation took a hostile turn after Ikuta denied the allegations against him and informed the prosecutor of his intention to remain silent.
“To be hostile toward the prosecutors’ office means you are anti-social. Completely,” the prosecutor can be heard telling Ikuta in the recording, using a term typically reserved for members of the yakuza or organized crime. “Don’t blame others for your silence.”
Following the incident, Ikuta’s defense team filed a formal complaint regarding the aggressive tactics, arguing that the prosecutor not only made insulting remarks but actively violated the defendant’s right to remain silent.
In response to the mounting pressure, the Supreme Public Prosecutors Office has since acknowledged the misconduct, admitting that there were “inappropriate points” in the handling of the interrogation.
