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Politics · Asia Pacific

Kyoto prosecutors renew life-sentence bid after Tanaka acquittal

Kyoto prosecutors appealed Yukio Tanaka’s acquittal in the 2013 killing of Ohsho Food Service president Takayuki Ohigashi and sought a life sentence. The Kyoto District Court had found reasonable doubt about whether Tanaka was the shooter, while Tanaka pleaded not guilty and denied the charge.

AI-assisted synthesis · Based on 2 independent reports from 3 outlets · Article text read from 1 of 2 reportsHow it's made

View timeline · 7 entries
3 outletsLatest reporting 3 min read
Coverage: Center OnlyL 0 · C 3 · R 0
Updat3 graphic: Asia Pacific
Updat3 graphic · Map data: Natural Earth Natural Earth (public domain)

What happened

Key facts

  • Tanaka pleaded not guilty and denied the charges.
  • Kyoto District Court’s Oct. 16 ruling said the cigarette butts could have been left by a third party and reasonable doubt remained about whether Tanaka was the shooter.
  • Tanaka, 60, was indicted for shooting Takayuki Ohigashi, 72, in the chest and abdomen with a handgun on Dec. 19, 2013.
  • Prosecutors alleged Tanaka acted in conspiracy with an unidentified person.

The brief

Kyoto prosecutors appealed Yukio Tanaka’s acquittal in the 2013 shooting of Ohsho Food Service president Takayuki Ohigashi, renewing their request for a life sentence. The Japan Times reported that the prosecution had argued Tanaka was the gunman, while Tanaka pleaded not guilty and denied the charges. Prosecutors alleged that Tanaka shot Ohigashi early on Dec.

19, 2013, in a parking lot outside the company’s headquarters in Kyoto’s Yamashina Ward. The charge, as described by The Japan Times, said Ohigashi was shot in the chest and abdomen with a handgun. Ohigashi was 72, and Tanaka was 60, the outlet reported.

At trial, prosecutors pointed to DNA evidence: they said Tanaka’s DNA profile matched material from saliva found on two cigarette butts collected near the scene. They sought life imprisonment. The prosecution also alleged that Tanaka acted in conspiracy with an unidentified person.

The Kyoto District Court acquitted Tanaka after concluding that reasonable doubt remained over whether he had fired the gun. The court rejected the prosecutors’ arguments and said a third party could have left the cigarette butts near the crime scene.

The ruling therefore did not accept the prosecution’s identification of Tanaka as the shooter; Tanaka’s denial remained his stated position. The Japan Times reported that the prosecutors appealed on Thursday. Its account also says the District Court issued its ruling on Oct. 16, without giving a year for that date.

The appeal follows that acquittal and the prosecution’s trial arguments; the available account does not describe a decision on the appeal. Ohigashi was the president of Ohsho Food Service at the time of the shooting, according to the prosecution’s allegation as recounted by The Japan Times. The company operates the Gyoza no Ohsho restaurant chain across Japan.

JIJI PRESS also carried a headline stating that Kyoto prosecutors appealed an acquittal in the 2013 Ohsho president murder case.

Why it matters

  • The appeal concerns the prosecution’s allegation that Tanaka shot Takayuki Ohigashi, who was shot in the chest and abdomen in the 2013 case.
  • Tanaka faces the prosecution’s request for a life sentence, while he pleaded not guilty and denied the charges.
  • The case turns in part on disputed identification evidence: prosecutors cited DNA from saliva on two cigarette butts, while the court said a third party could have left them.

What to watch next

  • Whether the appeal changes the Kyoto District Court’s acquittal of Yukio Tanaka.
  • How the court reviewing the appeal addresses the prosecution’s DNA argument about the two cigarette butts.
  • Whether the prosecution’s allegation that Tanaka acted with an unidentified person is addressed in the appeal.

How it's being covered

Coverage analysisShow details
3 source articles · 3 unique outlets · 2 distinct reports
Outlet political mix: Center Only· 3 Center
Where the outlets are based: Unknown 67% · Asia 33%
Outlet political mix
Center Only
Left
Center
Right
0 outlets
3 outlets
0 outlets
The marker shows coverage balance: each unique outlet counts once.
Geography
Where the outlets covering this story are based.
3 unique outletsDominant coverage: Asia
Coverage imbalance
  • Coverage is currently concentrated among Center-rated outlets (3 of 3 rated sources); comparatively few Left or Right-rated outlets have published on the event.
How we measure coverage

One source is from a wire service (AP, Reuters, AFP or Bloomberg), whose reporting other outlets often republish.

How outlets' accounts compare

Updat3 does not yet have enough full reports to compare how outlets framed this story.

Timeline

Developments from this story's sources, dated background we compiled and fact-checked, and our earlier coverage. Each row says which.
  1. Japan promulgated its Code of Criminal Procedure.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
  2. Ohsho Food Service’s history predates the killing: the company was founded in Kyoto in 1967 and grew into a nationwide restaurant chain.
    Background · from our historical context
  3. On December 19, 2013, Ohigashi was shot in a parking lot outside Ohsho Food Service’s headquarters in Kyoto’s Yamashina Ward.
    Background · from our historical context
  4. Tanaka, a former organized-crime figure, was arrested in October 2022 and subsequently charged in connection with Ohigashi’s death.
    Background · from our historical context
  5. On October 28, 2024, the Kyoto District Court acquitted Yukio Tanaka of murdering Takayuki Ohigashi, president of restaurant chain Ohsho Food Service.
    Background · from our historical context
  6. Tanaka’s trial opened, and he pleaded not guilty.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
  7. The Kyoto District Court acquitted Tanaka, finding reasonable doubt that he was the shooter.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3

How we got here

On October 28, 2024, the Kyoto District Court acquitted Yukio Tanaka of murdering Takayuki Ohigashi, president of restaurant chain Ohsho Food Service. The court said it could not establish beyond reasonable doubt that Tanaka was the gunman and that a third party might have left the cigarette butts used as evidence.

On December 19, 2013, Ohigashi was shot in a parking lot outside Ohsho Food Service’s headquarters in Kyoto’s Yamashina Ward. Tanaka, a former organized-crime figure, was arrested in October 2022 and subsequently charged in connection with Ohigashi’s death. Prosecutors’ case included forensic evidence from cigarette butts found near the scene; Tanaka disputed the accusation.

Original sources

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