A: Hey, did you catch the news about the company execs in Japan?
B: No, what happened to them this time?

A: Well, it looks like they were wrongly arrested and detained!
B: Oops, that sounds serious. What's going on?

A: They're chemical machinery manufacturers based in Yokohama, and last month, the Tokyo High Court ruled their investigations by police and prosecutors as unlawful.
B: So they won the case then?

A: Exactly! The court ordered the central and Tokyo governments to pay over 166 million yen in damages. And get this – it was the three execs themselves, plus a family member of one who were arrested.
B: Whoa, that's quite a fight they put up! What were they accused of?

A: They were charged with illegally exporting machinery to China that could be used for military purposes. But then something interesting happened...
B: Yeah? What happened?

A: The prosecutors dropped the charges, and they were declared innocent! Isn't that crazy?
B: That's unbelievable! I can see why they wouldn't appeal.

A: Exactly! Both the police and prosecutors apologized for causing them trouble and announced a review to prevent any recurrence of such mistakes.
B: Wow, I hope this never happens again. Those poor guys must have gone through a lot.
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The central and Tokyo metropolitan governments say they will not appeal a recent high court ruling on the wrongful arrest and detention of three company executives accused of illegal exports.



The Japanese prosecutors' office and the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department each announced on Wednesday that, after closely examining the ruling, they would not appeal to the Supreme Court. They issued an apology to chemical machinery manufacturer Ohkawara Kakohki and related parties.



Last month, the Tokyo High Court upheld a lower court ruling and recognized the investigations by Tokyo police and prosecutors as unlawful. The court ordered the governments to pay over 166 million yen, or about 1.14 million dollars, in damages to the plaintiffs.



The plaintiffs are two executives and the bereaved family of another executive of the manufacturer.



In 2020, Tokyo police arrested the three executives of the Yokohama-based company for allegedly exporting illegally to China and elsewhere machinery that could be converted for military use.



Although they were indicted, prosecutors later dropped the charges in a rare move, and the three men were declared innocent.



Tokyo police said on Wednesday that they deeply apologize for causing great pain and trouble to the plaintiffs and other concerned parties.



The police also said they have set up a team headed by the department's deputy chief to identify issues in their investigations and draw up measures to prevent a recurrence.



The Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office issued a similar apology on the same day. It also revealed that the Supreme Public Prosecutors Office will examine the investigations by the prosecutors.