KOBE, Oct 20 (NHK) - A family court in the western Japanese city of Kobe has admitted that it discarded all records of a 1997 serial murder case in which a 14-year-old boy was arrested.
The Kobe Family Court says its handling of the records was inappropriate in view of rules requiring that records of historical value be preserved permanently.
The boy was arrested and sent to a medical juvenile reformatory for killing two children and injuring three others in Kobe 25 years ago.
Internal rules of the Supreme Court stipulate that records of investigations and trials in juvenile cases must be kept until the minors involved turn 26.
But the rules also say records must be kept permanently if they have historical significance. ...continue reading
Source: ANNnewsCH