The Fukuoka High Court is expected to announce its decision on April 16 regarding the retrial of Michitoshi Kuma, who was convicted and executed for the 1992 murders of two first-grade girls in Iizuka, Fukuoka Prefecture. This case, known as the Iizuka incident, has garnered significant attention due to the new testimonies that may challenge the original verdict, which was based on circumstantial evidence. If the court allows the retrial, it would set a precedent as the first case in which a retrial is granted after the execution of a death penalty.

In the original trial, Kuma was found guilty primarily based on witness testimony, a blood type match, and fiber evidence linking him to the crime. Despite maintaining his innocence, the Supreme Court upheld the death sentence in 2006, and Kuma was executed two years later. The current request for a retrial is the second attempt, initiated by Kuma's wife in 2021, citing new evidence from two witnesses who claim to have seen the girls around the time of the abduction, thus potentially providing a different timeline from that established in the original trial.

The defense team is faced with challenges as one of the witnesses later recanted their statement, and the other provided differing information about the vehicle involved, which does not match Kuma's car. The lower court's rejection of their evidence has raised questions about the reliability of the initial verdict, fueling ongoing debates over the justice system and the death penalty in Japan. The outcome of this ruling will have significant implications not only for Kuma's case but also for future legal practices concerning wrongful convictions and retrials in the country.