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Osaka review panel upholds non-indictment of deputy prosecutor in sex assault case
In short
The Osaka No. 2 Prosecution Review Commission has decided that the non-indictment of a female deputy prosecutor was appropriate, saying there was no evidence sufficient to overturn the decision. The former prosecutor at the Osaka District Public Prosecutors Office had accused the colleague of spreading statements about her and leaking investigation information to the side of former chief prosecutor Kitagawa Kentaro, who is on trial over an alleged sexual assault. She told a press conference on 5 October that she despaired of the criminal justice system and of the review commission.
Why it matters
The decision closes the complaint route opened by the woman against a colleague and leaves her stated call for a third-party investigation by prosecutors unrealised. The proceedings against Kitagawa continue, with a second hearing expected this month, so the case remains before the courts. The dispute is a domestic criminal justice matter with limited direct effect outside Japan.
Key facts
- The Osaka No. 2 Prosecution Review Commission decided that the non-indictment of a female deputy prosecutor was appropriate. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
- The commission said it found no evidence sufficient to overturn the non-indictment decision. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
- Osaka High Prosecutors Office had decided not to indict the deputy prosecutor in March 2025 over the complaint by a former prosecutor. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
- The former prosecutor said at a press conference on 5 October that she despaired of the criminal justice system and of the review commission. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Kitagawa Kentaro, 67, the former chief of the Osaka District Public Prosecutors Office, is on trial over the alleged sexual assault of a subordinate prosecutor in 2018. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
- Sankei Shimbun reported that Osaka High Prosecutors Office gave the deputy prosecutor a reprimand for leaking investigation-related information and telling colleagues about the woman's report. [ 2 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- The Osaka No. 2 Prosecution Review Commission decided that the non-indictment of the female deputy prosecutor was appropriate. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
- The commission said it found no evidence sufficient to overturn the non-indictment decision, according to its stated grounds. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
- Osaka High Prosecutors Office had decided not to indict the deputy prosecutor in March 2025. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
- The former female prosecutor held a press conference on 5 October and criticised the outcome. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Kitagawa Kentaro, 67, the former chief of the Osaka District Public Prosecutors Office, is on trial over an alleged sexual assault on a subordinate prosecutor. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
Still unclear
- The date of the commission's decision. Nippon TV News says the decision was dated 2 October, while Sankei Shimbun and Mainichi Shimbun say it was dated 1 October.
- What exactly the deputy prosecutor is alleged to have said about the woman. Sankei Shimbun says she called the report a “false accusation” inside the organisation, Mainichi Shimbun says she spread that the woman had consented to sex, and Nippon TV News describes it more generally as spreading word of the harm.
- The full list of suspected offences raised by the woman. Mainichi Shimbun lists destruction of evidence, harbouring an offender, defamation and violation of the National Public Service Act; the other outlets refer to defamation and similar counts without the full list.
- Whether Osaka High Prosecutors Office issued a reprimand to the deputy prosecutor. Reported only by Sankei Shimbun, which says the office disciplined the deputy with a reprimand over the leaks while not indicting her.
- The date of the second hearing in Kitagawa's trial. Sankei Shimbun, citing the woman's side, says only that it is expected this month.
What local media are saying
Business mediaNippon TV News, Sankei Shimbun and Mainichi Shimbun carried the review commission's decision in detail with its stated grounds, the March 2025 non-indictment and the woman's press-conference remarks; Sankei added the disciplinary reprimand and the expected second hearing, and Mainichi listed the suspected offences she raised.
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Official sourcesNHK News reported that the prosecution review commission found the non-indictment of the deputy prosecutor appropriate, without setting out the commission's reasoning or the woman's comments in the summary available.
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Timeline, local time
- Nippon TV News and Sankei Shimbun report the prosecution review commission's decision that the deputy prosecutor's non-indictment was appropriate, the same day the former prosecutor held a press conference in Osaka. [ 1 , 2 ]
- NHK News reports that the review commission judged the non-indictment appropriate. [ 3 ]
- Mainichi Shimbun reports the decision, dated 1 October, and the grounds given by the commission. [ 4 ]