CALL4 Launches Support for Lawsuit to Hold Judges Accountable in the Okawara Kakoki Case
CALL4, Japan's first (*1) web platform dedicated to supporting public interest litigation, will begin supporting the lawsuit "Holding Judges Accountable in the Okawara Kakoki Case" on March 26, 2026.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: March 27, 2026 at 23:50
- 🔍 Collected: March 28, 2026 at 21:59 (22h 9m after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 15, 2026 at 00:53 (410h 53m after Collected)
Shizuo Aishima, a former advisor who was unjustly arrested and detained in the Okawara Kakoki case, was deprived of his freedom for approximately 11 months and died before being granted bail. Although the investigative authorities' actions were later deemed illegal, the individuals responsible for issuing arrest and detention warrants for Mr. Aishima and continuously denying bail were the judges.
This lawsuit aims to question the legality of the judgments made by the 37 judges involved, seeking to restore the rule of law in Japan's criminal justice system and put an end to "hostage justice."
(*1) Based on the company's own research in September 2019, including legal opinions, as Japan's first web-based support platform specializing in public interest litigation.
### Details of the Lawsuit
Shizuo Aishima, an executive at Okawara Kakoki Co., Ltd., was arrested for violating the Foreign Exchange Act on suspicion of exporting a spray dryer (a machine that turns liquid into powder) without a permit from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. As it turned out, Mr. Aishima and his colleagues were innocent, and it has already been confirmed in a state compensation lawsuit against the investigative authorities that these charges were baseless.
In that lawsuit, the investigative authorities' requests for arrest warrants, detention warrants, and the indictment itself were found to be illegal. However, the legal responsibility of the judges was not pursued.
Mr. Aishima was arrested on March 11, 2020, and his detention began on March 13.
His defense counsel filed a quasi-appeal against the detention and repeatedly requested bail after the indictment. However, the judges consistently refused bail, continuing to rule that there was reasonable suspicion of a crime and a risk that Mr. Aishima would destroy evidence or flee.
In October of that year, Mr. Aishima was diagnosed with stomach cancer. His lawyer requested bail, stating that he needed to undergo a detailed examination immediately. However, the judge denied bail, ruling that even with stomach cancer, there was a possibility that Mr. Aishima might destroy evidence or flee.
Ultimately, Mr. Aishima was never granted bail before he passed away on February 7, 2021.
This is a case that questions the responsibility of judges, who are supposed to make independent judgments according to their own conscience, for failing to curb the inappropriate actions of investigative authorities and instead continuing to approve their demands.
This lawsuit seeks damages from the state, alleging that the decisions of all 37 judges involved—the judge who issued the arrest warrant, the judge who issued the detention warrant, and the judges who denied the requests for bail for Shizuo Aishima—were illegal.
### Point of Contention in this Lawsuit
**Is the state liable for the judges' decisions?**
The point of contention in this lawsuit is whether the state is liable for damages for the judgments made by the judges regarding the arrest, detention, and denial of bail. The plaintiffs argue that these decisions were illegal for the following reasons:
**1. There was no suspicion of a crime in the first place.**
In the Okawara Kakoki case, the definition of "sterilization" was in dispute. However, there was no official documentation to support the interpretation of "sterilization" adopted by the investigative authorities. In such a situation, the suspicion that Mr. Aishima had committed a crime...
This lawsuit aims to question the legality of the judgments made by the 37 judges involved, seeking to restore the rule of law in Japan's criminal justice system and put an end to "hostage justice."
(*1) Based on the company's own research in September 2019, including legal opinions, as Japan's first web-based support platform specializing in public interest litigation.
### Details of the Lawsuit
Shizuo Aishima, an executive at Okawara Kakoki Co., Ltd., was arrested for violating the Foreign Exchange Act on suspicion of exporting a spray dryer (a machine that turns liquid into powder) without a permit from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. As it turned out, Mr. Aishima and his colleagues were innocent, and it has already been confirmed in a state compensation lawsuit against the investigative authorities that these charges were baseless.
In that lawsuit, the investigative authorities' requests for arrest warrants, detention warrants, and the indictment itself were found to be illegal. However, the legal responsibility of the judges was not pursued.
Mr. Aishima was arrested on March 11, 2020, and his detention began on March 13.
His defense counsel filed a quasi-appeal against the detention and repeatedly requested bail after the indictment. However, the judges consistently refused bail, continuing to rule that there was reasonable suspicion of a crime and a risk that Mr. Aishima would destroy evidence or flee.
In October of that year, Mr. Aishima was diagnosed with stomach cancer. His lawyer requested bail, stating that he needed to undergo a detailed examination immediately. However, the judge denied bail, ruling that even with stomach cancer, there was a possibility that Mr. Aishima might destroy evidence or flee.
Ultimately, Mr. Aishima was never granted bail before he passed away on February 7, 2021.
This is a case that questions the responsibility of judges, who are supposed to make independent judgments according to their own conscience, for failing to curb the inappropriate actions of investigative authorities and instead continuing to approve their demands.
This lawsuit seeks damages from the state, alleging that the decisions of all 37 judges involved—the judge who issued the arrest warrant, the judge who issued the detention warrant, and the judges who denied the requests for bail for Shizuo Aishima—were illegal.
### Point of Contention in this Lawsuit
**Is the state liable for the judges' decisions?**
The point of contention in this lawsuit is whether the state is liable for damages for the judgments made by the judges regarding the arrest, detention, and denial of bail. The plaintiffs argue that these decisions were illegal for the following reasons:
**1. There was no suspicion of a crime in the first place.**
In the Okawara Kakoki case, the definition of "sterilization" was in dispute. However, there was no official documentation to support the interpretation of "sterilization" adopted by the investigative authorities. In such a situation, the suspicion that Mr. Aishima had committed a crime...