Many acquitted murder suspects were initially found guilty by pleading guilty

More than 70% of people acquitted of murder in a retrial in Japan were initially found guilty based on testimony, Jiji data showed on Saturday.

At least 20 people in 18 cases were found not guilty in retrials after being convicted in the post-World War II period. Of these, 15 out of 13 cases had previously been convicted of murder based on testimony.

In 13 cases, the credibility and voluntariness of testimony were denied when the courts decided to conduct a retrial or issued orders to reconsider the case.