1974 March 17 A 12 year old girl is reported missing at the Kabutoyama Gakuen, a school for mentally disabled children.

March 19 A 12 year old boy disappears from the school. Both were found drowned in a septic tank on the school grounds.

April 7 Etsuko Yamada, a teacher at the school, is arrested on suspicion of murder.

April 7-28 Yamada is interrogated day and night until police coerce confessions.

April 28 The Kobe District Prosecutors Office releases Yamada, pending further investigation.

July 30 Yamada and her codefendants file suit against the state and the Hyogo Prefectural Police seeking damages under the Criminal Compensation Law and the State Redress Act.

Nov. 22 First Hearing in damages suit.


1975 Sept, 23. Kobe Prosecutors' office officially drops the case against Yamada due to lack of evidence.

Oct. 3. Mother of the deceased boy files a complaint with the Kobe Prosecution Review Commission.

1976 Oct 28. The Prosecution Review Commission announces that the prosecution's decision to drop the case was unjustifiable.

1978 March 20 The novel, Sosa Ichi Kacho [Police Sergeant, Homicide Division] viewing Yamada as murderer and two of her colleagues as accomplices, is published.

Feb 27 Yamada is rearrested. Police also arrest Kiyoshi Araki, former principal of the Kabutoyama School and another former teacher, Yuko Tada, on charges of lying under oath in their suit against the state. The police also search the homes of Yamada, the office of her Support Association, and fifteen of its members confiscating over one thousand pieces of personal property.

1978 March 9 Kobe prosecutors indict Yamada.
March 24 Yamada is released on bail.
June 5 Trial begins before the Kobe District Court.

1980 March Japan Federation of Bar Associations issues warning to Kobe District prosecutor citing unlawfulness of the second investigation of the case.

1985 April 18 Prosecutors, in closing argument, demand 13 years for Yamada.

Oct 17 Kobe District Court acquits Yamada.

Oct 29 Prosecutors file for appeal to the Osaka High Court citing "inadequate consideration of evidence."

1987 Nov 17 Kobe District Court finds Araki and Tada innocent. District prosecutor appeals.

1990 March 23. Osaka High Court overturns the decision remanding the case back to the Kobe District Court. The defense appeals this decision to the Supreme Court.

1992 April 7 Supreme Court Upholds Osaka High Court Decision, quashing the appeal of the defense.

1993 Jan 22 Osaka High Court overturns innocent verdicts of Araki and Tada, remands the case to the lower court.

Feb 19 Second trial for Yamada starts before the Kobe District Court.

1995 Osaka District Court awards Yamada 1,760, 000 yen ($15,000) in damages against the author of "Homicide Detective, First Division".

1997 July 1 Prosecutors again demand thirteen year prison sentence.

Oct 25 Richard Jewell, former security guard at the Atlanta Olympics falsely accused of setting the bomb he discovered, and attorney Watson Bryant participate in a symposium with T. Kohno, vilified suspect in the Matsumoto gas attack of 1994, in a forum "Kabutoyama Case: Bring It To An End!"

1998 March 24 Kobe District Court again acquits Yamada for the second time.

April 14 Prosecutors appeal to the Osaka High Court.

1999 Jan 22 First hearing before the High Court is scheduled to begin


-------- by Michel H. Fox (99.1.21) -----------