Nabari Poisoned Wine Murder Retrial Sought for 11th Time

Nagoya, Jan. 23 (Jiji Press)–An 11th request for the retrial of deceased death-row inmate Masaru Okunishi in the high-profile Nabari poisoned wine murder case nearly 65 years ago has been filed with Nagoya High Court by Okunishi’s sister and defense lawyers. Along with the request, made Thursday, the defense team submitted new expert evidence concerning the glue left on a paper tape used to seal the wine bottle in question. According to the finalized ruling in 1972, Okunishi mixed an agrichemical into a bottle of wine while alone for some 10 minutes during a funfest at a community center in the city of Nabari, Mie Prefecture, on March 28, 1961, killing five women and injuring 12 other party participants. In 2015, the convicted murderer died in prison from a disease at age 89. Okunishi’s sister, Miyoko Oka, 96, and the lawyers saw their 10th retrial petition rejected by the Supreme Court despite presenting an expert opinion on the glue, with the top court mentioning difficulties in identifying residual substances on the sealing paper due to the way the paper had been handled and its aging. In the 11th motion, the lawyers claim that someone other than Okunishi opened the bottle, intoxicated the wine and resealed the bottle cap, saying that an expert analysis of the results of a reproductive experiment, even taking into account aging factors, found it highly likely that the glue detected on the paper was a widely available commercial product different from the one originally used in the bottling process. “A key rationale behind the conviction against Okunish has evaporated now,” they pointed out. “I want the court to give the go-ahead for the retrial as soon as possible,” Oka said in a video message at a press conference. “We are determined to have the court reopen the case and to win acquittal,” Izumi Suzuki, the chief defense lawyer, said. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]