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one of the two incidents, but it was later found that said
Yamaguchi did not exist: the card was a fake. The poisoner also used a real card which was marked "Shigeru Matsui" (of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, Department of Disease Prevention) in another of the two incidents. The original owner of the card was found to have an alibi. Matsui told the police that he had exchanged cards with 593 people, but of these, 100 were of the type used in the poisoning incidents, of which eight remained in his possession. Matsui recorded the time and place of the business card exchange on the back of cards he received so the police set out to trace the remaining 92 cards. 62 cards were retrieved and their originators cleared; a further 22 were deemed to have been irrelevant to the case. One of the remaining 8 cards was received by Hirasawa. The police were led to arrest Hirasawa because:
291:, aged 54; he had lived there with his natural mother until her death at age 83 the previous December. His body was only found on 16 October by several retrial supporters who had worried about not hearing from him in some time. According to supporters, the pressures and uncertainties surrounding the reopening of the case, together with his mother's death, had caused Takehiko to periodically display signs of instability and doubts about whether he could continue. He continued to persist with his objective of getting a posthumous retrial, though - writing after his mother's death on a website about the "Teigin Incident":
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267:, and so Endo appealed for his release. However, the Japanese court refused this argument, pointing out that the statute only applies in the case if a death row inmate escapes from prison and evades capture for 30 years. Japanese courts judge that the punishment begins when the minister signs the death warrant, which had never been done. His health deteriorated in 1987. On April 30, 1987,
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pursue the case due to social prejudice. Takehiko also worked to recover several of
Sadamichi's lost paintings and held exhibitions of his work. He and his lawyers submitted a 19th plea for retrial; Sadamichi's brain damage was also proved. As of 2008, his lawyers had submitted new evidence to attempt to prove Hirasawa's innocence.
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98:. When all were incapacitated, the robber took some money lying on the desks, which amounted to 160,000 yen (about $ 2,000 US at the time), but left the majority behind, leaving his motive unknown. Ten of the victims died at the scene (one was a child of an employee) and two others died while hospitalized.
114:
with personal details. There had been two other extremely similar cases of attempted and actual theft at banks via the use of poison in the weeks and months before the robbery. In all cases the poisoner, a lone male, left a business card. The poisoner used a card which was marked "Jirō Yamaguchi" in
299:
At the time of
Takehiko's death, he and his lawyers had assembled a team of psychologists to reexamine the witness accounts and investigation process from the trial, to determine if the evidence was credible by present standards. They had been scheduled to submit their position papers to the Tokyo
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Even after
Hirasawa's death, his son by adoption, Takehiko Hirasawa, tried to clear his name. Takehiko was the son of one of Sadamichi's supporters; he became the painter's adopted son while in university to take up the task of getting a retrial for Sadamichi, as his relatives were reluctant to
303:
On 4 December 2013, the Tokyo High Court announced it would drop the plea for a posthumous retrial for
Sadamichi Hirasawa following his adopted son's death. As a result, the court effectively declared the case closed, unless other members of the Hirasawa family wish to pursue a retrial.
140:
He was arrested on August 21, 1948. After police interrogation, which allegedly involved torture, Hirasawa confessed, but then recanted soon after. His later defence against his confession was based on partial insanity, alleging that he had been troubled with
94:. He gave each of the sixteen people present a pill and a few drops of liquid. Those present drank the liquid he gave, which was later thought to be "nitrile hydrocyanide" (青酸ニトリール), an assassination toxicant originally developed at the
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A similar amount of money to that stolen from the bank was found in
Hirasawa's possession, the origin of which he refused to divulge. The origin of the money is unknown to this day (though some, such as the crime fiction novelist
212:, who on 13 October 1967 announced in front of the press that he had signed the death warrants of 23 prisoners in one go, did not sign Hirasawa's death warrant, stating that he doubted Hirasawa's guilt.
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He was sentenced to death, but there was originally no conclusive evidence. In addition, although 40 employees saw the crimes, there were only two people who identified him as the criminal.
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He could not produce the card he had received from Matsui. Hirasawa claimed to have lost the business card, together with his wallet, due to his having been the victim of pickpocketing.
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in
Hirasawa's trial. One of the reasons given to doubt Hirasawa's guilt is because the victims' symptoms were clearly different from potassium cyanide poisoning, which is rapid.
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It was her wish and mine and my late father’s to mark in history that
Sadamichi Hirasawa is innocent. I will continue this struggle for years to come.
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upheld the death sentence in 1955. His attorneys tried to have the sentence revoked, submitting 18 pleas for retrial over the following years.
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in 1950. Until 1949, a confession was solid evidence under the law, even if the police tortured a person to extract said confession. The
320:, who was long a resident in Japan, is based on the Hirasawa case. The case is also referenced in Ian Fleming's 11th James Bond novel,
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In 1981, Makoto Endo became the leader of
Hirasawa's lawyers. Beside this case, he took part in controversial trials such as that of
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Hirasawa remained in prison as a condemned criminal for the next 32 years. He spent his time painting and writing his autobiography
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Hirasawa's alibi of having been taking a stroll in the vicinity of the crime scene could be neither verified nor substantiated.
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He confessed to having been involved in four previous cases of bank fraud (recanted together with his subsequent confession).
145:(as a result of rabies inoculation) and so his confession was not reliable. The court, however, disagreed and Hirasawa was
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Hirasawa was identified as the poisoner by several witnesses (but only by two survivors, and see picture below).
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in 1960. Matsumoto also suspected that "the money of unknown origin" came from selling pornographic drawings.
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Japanese police made the montage picture of the criminal, but his face was clearly not similar to
Hirasawa.
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arrived at a branch of the Imperial Bank (Teikoku Ginkō, aka Teigin) in Shiinamachi, a suburb of
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High Court by the end of 2013, ahead of the court verdict on the retrial petition.
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did not sign his death warrant, so the death sentence was never carried out. Even
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petitioned the Japanese government to release him, but Hirasawa died of
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25 years after Teigin convict's death, exoneration efforts continue
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In September 2013, Takehiko Hirasawa died alone at his home in
633:. South Asia Human Rights Documentation Centre. 2003-04-23
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Death of inmate’s adoptive son ends ‘Teigin’ retrial bid
531:. Reed Business Information. 2007-05-24. Archived from
458:"Sadamichi Hirasawa Is Dead; Was on Death Row 32 Years"
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Psychiatrist, 100, fights to clear late convict's name
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presumed that the true culprit was a former member of
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Sadamichi Hirasawa Is Dead; Was on Death Row 32 Years
652:"Endo, chief lawyer in 'Teigin Incident,' dies at 71"
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215:The poison was regarded as the readily obtainable
958:Teigin Case - Homepage created by his supporters
933:Art exhibition launched to clear Hirasawa's name
911:Art of 'Teigin Incident' convict to be exhibited
263:has a 30-year statute of limitations under the
38:
776:Court calls end to plea seeking Teigin retrial
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189:protested Hirasawa's conviction with his film
74:On January 26, 1948, a man calling himself an
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944:Teigin Incident artist exhibition tour starts
8:
673:"Court Refuses to Free A Death Row Japanese"
625:
623:
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554:"Fight to clear mass-killer's name unending"
326:(1964), though embellished and exaggerated.
349:-style recounting of the case. Directed by
259:for his death penalty ran out in 1985. The
1011:Japanese people who died in prison custody
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835:J. H. H. Gaute and Robin Odell,
54:. He was convicted of mass poisoning and
45:, February 18, 1892 – May 10, 1987)
1016:Prisoners who died in Japanese detention
483:"19th bid to clear late murderer's name"
110:due to the Japanese habit of exchanging
575:"Experts doubt Teigin Incident verdict"
485:. The Sydney Morning Herald. 2003-07-12
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357:with a rare starring role as Hirasawa.
90:the staff against a sudden outbreak of
889:19th bid to clear late murderer's name
996:Prisoners sentenced to death by Japan
991:Japanese prisoners sentenced to death
922:Experts doubt Teigin Incident verdict
7:
823:A story of the Teikoku Bank Incident
179:A story of the Teikoku Bank Incident
1006:People convicted of murder by Japan
1001:Japanese people convicted of murder
699:"Death-row inmate had brain damage"
631:"Japan Hanging on to Death Penalty"
70:Site of the "Teikoku Bank Incident"
506:. Time. 1963-02-15. Archived from
437:"Plea of innocence from the grave"
14:
608:. pp. 119-120 by Hal Gold (1996)
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275:in a prison hospital on May 10.
1031:20th-century Japanese painters
1021:Deaths from pneumonia in Japan
237:My Will: the Teikoku Bank Case
1:
697:Shigeko Segawa (2008-02-25).
577:. The Japan Times. 2006-11-26
556:. The Japan Times. 2008-01-23
439:. The Japan Times. 2003-07-05
279:Bids for a posthumous retrial
206:Ministers of Justice in Japan
839:, 1996, Harrap Books, London
837:The New Murderer's Who's Who
654:. CNET Networks. 2002-01-28
255:. The defense claimed that
106:Hirasawa was caught by the
39:
16:Japanese artist (1892–1987)
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353:, the film provided actor
339:Teijin Incident: Condemned
195:Teijin Incident: Condemned
797:. Internet Movie Database
795:"Teigin jiken: Shikeishû"
242:
157:Doubt over guilty verdict
33:
851:Teigin jiken: Shikeishû
335:Teigin jiken: Shikeishû
191:Teigin jiken: Shikeishû
830:The Black Fog of Japan
529:"Obituary - Kei Kumai"
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265:Criminal Code of Japan
257:statute of limitations
183:The Black Fog of Japan
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151:Supreme Court of Japan
84:occupation authorities
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893:Sydney Morning Herald
504:"Noose or Pneumonia?"
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269:Amnesty International
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966:Teigin Case Timeline
289:Suginami Ward, Tokyo
143:Korsakoff's syndrome
867:Noose or Pneumonia?
735:, 8 June 2012, p. 3
596:Unit 731: Testimony
323:You Only Live Twice
225:acetone cyanohydrin
96:Noborito Laboratory
828:Seichō Matsumoto,
677:The New York Times
510:on August 17, 2008
462:The New York Times
316:by English author
308:In popular culture
167:
147:sentenced to death
86:who had orders to
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56:sentenced to death
41:Hirasawa Sadamichi
28:Sadamichi Hirasawa
25:
23:Sadamichi Hirasawa
929:November 26, 2006
918:November 23, 2006
874:February 15, 1963
784:, 4 December 2013
761:, 16 October 2013
606:Tuttle Publishing
217:potassium cyanide
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799:. Retrieved
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679:. 1985-05-31
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601:Google Books
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375:Japan portal
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937:Japan Times
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915:Japan Times
904:Japan Times
781:Japan Times
758:Japan Times
732:Japan Times
407:Sakae Menda
318:David Peace
204:Successive
201:) in 1964.
62:Teigin case
975:Categories
801:2021-05-27
772:Kyodo News
749:Kyodo News
723:Kyodo News
708:2008-03-14
683:2008-06-02
658:2008-02-09
637:2008-02-06
581:2008-02-06
560:2008-02-03
539:2008-02-03
514:2008-02-09
489:2008-02-06
468:2008-02-06
443:2008-02-06
423:References
355:Kinzō Shin
351:Kei Kumai
347:docudrama
333:released
329:In 1964,
273:pneumonia
187:Kei Kumai
92:dysentery
88:inoculate
361:See also
331:Nikkatsu
175:Unit 731
243:遺書 帝銀事件
52:painter
49:tempera
858:
832:, 1960
825:, 1959
612:
604:. via
108:police
345:), a
34:平沢 貞通
871:Time
856:IMDb
774:), "
751:), "
725:), "
610:ISBN
854:at
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