Seoul Court Acquits Japanese Reporter Of Defamation

The former Seoul bureau chief of the Japanese daily Sankei Shimbun was found innocent on Thursday of defaming President Park Geun-hye.

Prosecutors previous year indicted Tatsuya Kato of Japan’s conservative Sankei Shimbun newspaper over the article that listed rumors that Park was absent for seven hours during the disaster that killed more than 300 people, mostly teenagers.

Park is the daughter of slain military dictator Park Chung-hee, who ruled South Korea in the 1960s and 1970s, and whose legacy as a successful economic strategist is marred by a brutal record of civilian oppression.

The Japanese journalist held a press conference in Seoul after the ruling and said the verdict was a “natural decision”, adding that he hoped the prosecution would not appeal the decision, Kyodo News reported.

When Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida was asked by reporters if he knew about the request, he said, “I’m not aware of it. We did not receive any notification beforehand”. “But that is not enough to establish intentional libel”.

Takeo Kawamura, a former chief Cabinet secretary who now serves as secretary-general of a league of parliamentarians from Japan and South Korea, said, “I believe the verdict was made after thinking about the case from various angles”.

Tatsuya Kato was found guilty of defaming Park in article based on groundless rumours.

News 1 reported Japan’s National Public Safety Chairman Taro Kono said Friday he would strengthen security around South Korean diplomatic missions in Japan in the aftermath of the incident. Ms Park’s office has denied she was with the man at that time.

The case drew criticism from human rights organizations that said Park appeared to abuse the legal system to stifle political opposition and to limit freedom of the press.

Korean prosecutors requested an 18-month prison sentence for Kato.

The case raised questions about freedom of the press and free speech in South Korea and also threatened to aggravate relations between South Korea and Japan.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Thursday welcomed a South Korean court’s not-guilty ruling on a Japanese journalist, saying it was expected to have a positive effect on relations between the two countries.

“I appreciate the not-guilty ruling”.

“Now that the burden caused by the indictment has been removed, we expect it to be an opportunity for improved ties between South Korea and Japan going forward”, a ministry official was quoted as saying by news agency Yonhap.