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AMAKASU CASE JAPANESE JUDICIAL DECISION Accused: Masahiko Amakasu - reserve military police, army capt. Keijiro Mori - reserve military police, army sgt. maj. Riichi Hirai - military police corporal of the army. Yasugoro Kamoshita - military police superior pvt. of the army. Shlgeo Honda - military police superior pvt. of the army. Court-martial charge - murder. Sentence: Masahiko (Amakasu) - 10 years. Keijiro (Mori) - 3 years. Riichi (Hirai) - not guilty. Yasugoro (Kamoshita) - " Shigeo (Honda) - " Facts: Masahiko Amakasu and Keijiro Mori were in active service, Masahiko as commander of the Shibuya MP Det. and Kojimachi in MP Det. of Tokyo MP Corps; Keijiro member of special higher police section of Tokyo MP Corps headquarters. In 1923, with the earthquake and resultant fires, there was murder, incendiarism and riot, blamed on the Koreans and Socialists. Sokae Osugi, anarchist leader, was being shadowed. Yodobashi Police Station wanted to dispose of him — Masahiko confided this to Keijiro. 15 September Keijiro reported to Masahiko that if MP Corps would dispose of Osugi, the Police Station would lend assistance, such as suspension of shadowing Osugi. Masahiko and Keijiro took, their two subordinates, Yasugoro and Shigeo, without divulging their intention to kill him, to Osugi*s neighborhood, On the 15th, but he didn*t come out. The next afternoon they learned that he had left from the Yodobashi Police Station, that he would be back in evening. On his returning they took him, with fcis CL wife and 7 year old nephew, to the MP Corps, where, around 2000, Masahiko had Keijiro take Osugi to the reception room of the MP commander, which hadn*t been used since the earthquake, the two having planned scheme prior. Osugi sat with back to entrance conversing with Keijiro; Masahiko about 2030 come from Osugi*s back strangled him to death. Keijiro stood watch outside the room. Masahiko and Keijiro then decided his anarchist wife should be killed: Keijiro insisted child should be killed (not sure Osugi*s son). Keijiro ordered Yasugoro and Shigeo to kill child after he killed wife. Masahiko and Keijiro killed wife by same method as Osugi; Yasugoro and Shigeo strangled child to death. Opinion: Acts of Yasugoro and Shigeo were perpetrated without knowing that those acts constituted a crime— acts lacking in criminal intent. Not sufficient evidence to show that Riichi kept watch knowing that wife and child were being killed, although he was in vicinity. |