On December 13, the Tokyo District Court sentenced Naoyuki Ikuta, CEO of the solar energy company Techno System, to 11 years in prison for fraud involving the submission of fraudulent estimates to multiple financial institutions. Prosecutors had sought a 13-year sentence, highlighting that Ikuta had deceived banks into believing he was operating a legitimate solar energy business when he was, in fact, defrauding them to cover other debts. The court found that Ikuta's claims of intending to repay the loans were false and noted he had premeditated his fraud, essentially describing his operations as a ' Ponzi scheme.'

Throughout the trial, the defense argued that Ikuta had genuine plans to implement the solar power business and repay the banks. However, the court ruled that he had no such plans, and instead, the funds obtained were used to pay off prior debts. The court's decision underscores the severity of financial crimes in Japan, particularly those involving renewable energy financing, which is meant to support public initiatives for sustainable development.

Additionally, during the interrogation process, Ikuta's defense team asserted that prosecutors had engaged in inappropriate conduct, including allegedly derogatory remarks implying hostility towards the prosecution. While the court acknowledged the prosecutors' conduct as inappropriate, it ruled that the evidence collected during the interrogation was not tainted and upheld the validity of the indictment against Ikuta.