Yoshihiro Yasuda
Encyclopedia
Yoshihiro Yasuda is a famed and controversial lawyer in Japan
who is known for his anti-death penalty activism in Japan. The main reason why he took part in controversial trials is that he thought that the suspects were tried unfairly because of mass media's bashing.
, founder of the religious cult
group Aum Shinrikyo
, which has been accused of various crimes, including the Tokyo subway sarin gas attack. In 1998, during Asahara's trial, Yasuda was arrested and charged with obstruction of the compulsory execution concerning a corporation in which he was an adviser. Some critics pointed out that this accusation was implemented because prosecutors were angry at Yasuda's court tactics to delay the trial as long as possible to avoid the sentence of a highly possible death penalty for Asahara. 1200 lawyers listed as Yasuda's defenders, and Japan Federation of Bar Associations and Amnesty International
protested that this accusation was unfair. In 2003 the Tokyo District Court
acquitted him of all charges, but the Tokyo prosecutors office appealed the case to a higher court, and the trial is going on as of May 2007.
, Yamaguchi
. This case has received much attention because of the circumstances of the crime and the possibility of imposing the death penalty on a minor (which is age 20 in Japan). In March 2006, Yasuda and his group of attorneys were absent from the oral argument hearing with some reason. The Japanese media have considered that their behavior was to delay the trial just in the same way as during the Asahara trial without considering any lawyer side reasons, and the Supreme Court ordered him to attend the next hearing.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
who is known for his anti-death penalty activism in Japan. The main reason why he took part in controversial trials is that he thought that the suspects were tried unfairly because of mass media's bashing.
Trial of Shinjuku bus attack
Yasuda was one of the defenders of a Shinjuku bus attacker who killed 6 people in 1980. The attacker wasn't sentenced to death, but he killed himself in 1997.Asahara Trial
Yasuda was one of the defenders for Shoko AsaharaShoko Asahara
, born on March 2, 1955, is a founder of the controversial Japanese new religious group Aum Shinrikyo. He was convicted of masterminding the 1995 sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway and several other crimes, for which he was sentenced to death...
, founder of the religious cult
Cult
The word cult in current popular usage usually refers to a group whose beliefs or practices are considered abnormal or bizarre. The word originally denoted a system of ritual practices...
group Aum Shinrikyo
Aum Shinrikyo
Aum Shinrikyo was a Japanese new religious movement. The group was founded by Shoko Asahara in 1984. The group gained international notoriety in 1995, when it carried out the Sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway....
, which has been accused of various crimes, including the Tokyo subway sarin gas attack. In 1998, during Asahara's trial, Yasuda was arrested and charged with obstruction of the compulsory execution concerning a corporation in which he was an adviser. Some critics pointed out that this accusation was implemented because prosecutors were angry at Yasuda's court tactics to delay the trial as long as possible to avoid the sentence of a highly possible death penalty for Asahara. 1200 lawyers listed as Yasuda's defenders, and Japan Federation of Bar Associations and Amnesty International
Amnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
protested that this accusation was unfair. In 2003 the Tokyo District Court
Tokyo District Court
is a district court located at 1-1-4 Kasumigaseki, Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. -References:...
acquitted him of all charges, but the Tokyo prosecutors office appealed the case to a higher court, and the trial is going on as of May 2007.
Trial of Homicides in Hikari City
Yasuda is also a chief defender for a 19 year-old boy accused of the murder of a woman and her 1 year-old daughter in Hikari cityHikari, Yamaguchi
is a city located in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan.The city was founded three times: April 1, 1943 , July 1, 1955 , and October 4, 2004 ....
, Yamaguchi
Yamaguchi Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan in the Chūgoku region on Honshū island. The capital is the city of Yamaguchi, in the center of the prefecture. The largest city, however, is Shimonoseki.- History :...
. This case has received much attention because of the circumstances of the crime and the possibility of imposing the death penalty on a minor (which is age 20 in Japan). In March 2006, Yasuda and his group of attorneys were absent from the oral argument hearing with some reason. The Japanese media have considered that their behavior was to delay the trial just in the same way as during the Asahara trial without considering any lawyer side reasons, and the Supreme Court ordered him to attend the next hearing.
External links
- ‘Amnesty International calls for inquiry into arrest of prominent human rights activist’. (In English)
- Mainichi Interactive: Asahara's lawyer acquitted of helping firm hide assets. (In English)
- The Yasuda Arrest: Criminal and Political Considerations, Japan Policy Research Institute (In English).