Supreme Court of Japan

JAPAN: COURT REJECTS RETRIAL REQUEST FOR EXECUTED MAN BELIEVED TO HAVE HAD LEPROSY

February 5, 2026:

The Kumamoto District Court on January 28, 2026 rejected a retrial request from the family of a man with leprosy who was executed more than 60 years ago for a 1952 murder despite long claiming his innocence. 
The case, known as the “Kikuchi incident,” stemmed from the fatal stabbing of a village office employee in a mountain village in Kumamoto Prefecture.
The man claimed his innocence and pleaded his case all the way to the Supreme Court, but his death sentence was finalized.
The man, executed in September 1962, had filed three previous retrial requests, all of which were denied. The fourth request was filed by his family in April 2021.
The family’s request for a retrial centered on two main arguments.
First, they challenged the constitutionality of the “special court” where the man was tried. Held inside an isolated sanatorium to prevent the spread of the disease, the defense argued the court was discriminatory and denied the man proper legal counsel.
Secondly, they argued the man was innocent, presenting new expert analysis. The defense claimed the shape of the alleged murder weapon, a dagger, was inconsistent with wounds on the victim’s body.
They also submitted evidence that testimony from two relatives who claimed to have heard a confession was unreliable, citing contradictions.
According to the defense, prosecutors countered both points.
They argued that there is no legal provision for granting a retrial based on the unconstitutionality of the court, and that the verdict would not have changed.
Regarding the evidence, prosecutors asserted that the injuries could be consistent with those made by the dagger, depending on the depth of the stabbing.
They also maintained that the relatives’ testimony was credible, as the core details of the confession remained consistent, and a retrial should not be granted.