A jury trial at the Kumamoto District Court on July 17 acquitted a 38-year-old male defendant of Vietnamese nationality—an ex-technical intern trainee—who was charged with importing and using counterfeit older ¥10,000 bills featuring a portrait of Prince Shōtoku, a total of 176 notes. The court ruled there was “no decisive evidence” that he knew they were fake, and found him not guilty. Prosecutors had sought a prison sentence of nine years news.jp+247news.jp+2reddit.com+2.
In his ruling, presiding Judge Mikito Nakata stated in explanation that it would not be unnatural for the defendant—who first came to Japan in 2012—not to know what the old ¥10,000 note looked like. The court also concluded that the defendant’s testimony, in which he said a woman who asked him to exchange money had sent him photos of the bills and he had called to ask if they were counterfeit, “could merely have been a question about whether the design actually existed” .
According to the indictment, between June 22 and August 17, 2023, the defendant allegedly conspired with others to smuggle the bills—disguised as luggage belonging to an unsuspecting person—on flights from Vietnam and import them via Fukuoka and Kansai airports. He then allegedly exchanged them at banks and deposited some into Japan Post Bank accounts at post offices .
Kumamoto District Prosecutor Kazuhiro Katō said, “We will review the verdict and respond appropriately” .https://news.jp/i/1318604886099607964?c=899922300288598016
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