Osaka court orders retrial for man convicted of rape

OSAKA —
The Osaka District Court has ordered a retrial for a man who was convicted of rape in 2011 and sentenced to 12 years in prison. The court said new evidence revealed the man’s accuser had provided false testimony.
The man – whom Japanese news outlets are not naming – was accused of raping the same woman in both 2004 and 2008, and sexually assaulting her once again later in 2008. The guilty verdict was apparently based largely on the woman’s testimony and that of at least one eyewitness, TV Asahi reported.
The man vehemently denied the woman’s claims, but he was sentenced to 12 years in jail for his alleged crime. During his time in jail, the defendant appealed for a retrial and finally managed to get a request for a re-examination of the case via his lawyer.
Last November, he was released after serving 3 1/2 years after a reevaluation of medical exams proved that the woman had not incurred any sexual assault. The court then ordered that the woman produce other evidence and present it at a follow-up trial.
The man’s lawyers have demanded the retrial so that his name be completely cleared and that he be awarded compensation, TV Asahi reported. The court has also admonished prosecutors for not examining the woman’s medical records at the time of the trial.