OSAKA (TR) – In yet another blow to Japan’s embattled public prosecutors, a bombshell 14-page memo has surfaced revealing allegations that a supervising prosecutor here ordered a subordinate to fabricate a confession and conceal evidence, reports Nippon News Network (Aug. 3).
The document, written by a former male prosecutor, was made public on Monday by “Hikari,” a female prosecutor who recently made headlines by accusing former Osaka District Public Prosecutors Office chief Kentaro Kitagawa of sexual assault.
“I am a former prosecutor. I have despaired at the Public Prosecutors Office,” the memo begins.
“You’re a piece of junk”
The whistleblower, who resigned earlier this year after his health deteriorated from the stress, was previously assigned to the elite Special Investigation Squad at the Osaka District Public Prosecutors Office. In the memo, he detailed severe power harassment by his supervising prosecutor.
When reporting on interrogation progress, the young prosecutor was subjected to daily verbal abuse, including insults such as, “Are you trying to crush this case?” and “You’re a piece of junk.”
More alarmingly, the ex-prosecutor claims his supervisor ordered him to draft a “confession” statement that fit the supervisor’s own narrative of the crime, despite the suspect vehemently denying the charges.
Furthermore, when the subordinate found crucial call data on a suspect’s smartphone and consulted his supervisor, he was allegedly instructed to conceal the evidence rather than report it to upper management.
“We have decided to forgive”
The man eventually blew the whistle internally, prompting an investigation by the Osaka High Public Prosecutors Office. While the office acknowledged the power harassment, the supervisor was effectively let off the hook.
According to the memo, the victim was told, “Since this is the first time power harassment was recognized, we have decided to forgive it.” The explosive allegations of evidence concealment were entirely dismissed by investigators as a “misunderstanding” on the part of the young prosecutor.
The revelation is the latest in a relentless wave of scandals rocking the nation’s top law enforcement agency. Recently, two other prosecutors formerly attached to the Special Investigation Squad were ordered to face criminal trials for verbally abusing suspects during interrogations.
Inappropriate relationship
Just last week, a prosecutor who led the investigation into the Liberal Democratic Party’s political slush fund scandal was dismissed after it was revealed he engaged in an inappropriate relationship with a female suspect.
During Tuesday’s press conference, Hikari blasted the prosecutors’ office for its ongoing refusal to accept outside scrutiny.
“A fair and neutral investigation and verification by a third-party committee is absolutely necessary,” she said.
The Osaka High Public Prosecutors Office has not responded to requests for comment regarding the memo.
