Japanese national acquitted of charges

Atty. Josue Sim Zuniega with the acquitted Japanese national (left).

Metro Manila - The Regional Trial Court acquitted on October 15, 2024 an accused Japanese national of three charges of rape allegedly committed in August 2017 during a visit to the Philippines. Earlier in August 2021, another branch of the Regional Trial Court acquitted the same accused of the charge of abuse of a minor allegedly committed in 2015 after Immigration records confirmed that the accused was not present in the country during the period in question.

According to defense lawyer Atty. Josue Sim Zuniega of ZOMSLAW Office, the accused returned to the country as a tourist in October 2019 and was surprised that law enforcers armed with a warrant of arrest had already been waiting to detain him for acts he allegedly committed in 2015 and 2017. 

The Japanese national’s acquittal came after five years of detention because trial was delayed in part due to the pandemic and change in the presiding judges as the first judge was replaced upon reaching the age of retirement.

Atty. Zuniega praised the presence of professional interpreters who translated the proceedings in Filipino, English and Japanese stating that "they helped in turning the wheels of justice to grind effectively".

The accused thanked the Embassy of Japan in the Philippines for helping him with referrals, which eventually led him to Atty. Zuniega, one of the few Japanese-speaking lawyers in the country for his defense.