The Nabari poisoned wine incident, which led to the deaths of five women in 1961 after consuming wine laced with pesticides at a local gathering in Nabari City, Mie Prefecture, is back in the spotlight with the 11th request for retrial. A tripartite collaboration meeting involving the Nagoya High Court, Nagoya High Public Prosecutor's Office, and the defense team took place on the 26th, marking the first such meeting in the context of this latest application. This case has remained a controversial focal point in Japanese criminal law, particularly regarding issues of wrongful conviction and the implications for justice in long-standing cases.

The former death-row inmate, Katsutoshi Okunishi, who had been convicted in connection with this case, passed away in 2015 at the age of 89. Following this, the sister of Okunishi, Miyoko, aged 96, filed the 11th retrial petition earlier this year aiming to overturn the conviction. The defense team is pushing for the examination of the actual sealing paper used on the wine bottles, which the high court has acknowledged as a necessary examination, signaling a potentially more favorable outcome for the defense's arguments and the pursuit of justice for the families involved.

Furthermore, the defense has been requesting access to all crown caps and related investigation reports found at the incident's public hall site. The prosecution has reportedly begun confirming the existence of such evidence, indicating a potential shift in how evidence is approached in this longstanding case. This ongoing legal battle underscores the complexities surrounding procedural justice in Japan, especially in cases with historical implications.