Photo/Illutration Hiromu Kurokawa, the chief of the Tokyo High Public Prosecutors Office, heads to his Tokyo residence in May. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

A prosecution inquest panel has ruled that a former top prosecutor close to the previous administration should have been indicted for gambling on mah-jongg, prompting the case to be reopened.

Hiromu Kurokawa, 63, the chief of the Tokyo High Public Prosecutors Office, resigned in May after reports surfaced that he regularly played mah-jongg for money along with three others working for newspapers, including an employee of The Asahi Shimbun.

One game took place while a state of emergency was declared for the COVID-19 pandemic. Most forms of gambling are illegal in Japan.

In July, the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office decided not to indict any of the four participants on grounds the amounts wagered were not large.

Between 10,000 and 20,000 yen ($97 and $193) exchanged hands during a typical mah-jongg session among the four.

A citizens’ group was dissatisfied with the prosecutors’ decision and submitted a request to the Tokyo sixth prosecution inquest committee made up of 11 lay citizens to look into the matter.

A group member said it received word that the panel decided Kurokawa should have been indicted and that the decision to not indict the other three was inappropriate.

The latest decision obligates Tokyo prosecutors to reopen the case. But if they decide not to indict the four a second time, another inquest panel could be called on to decide if an indictment was appropriate.

If such a decision is reached, lawyers serving as prosecutors would take up the case against Kurokawa.

According to an earlier announcement by the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office, the mah-jongg games took place at the Tokyo residence of a reporter for the Sankei Shimbun. Another Sankei reporter as well as the Asahi employee were regular participants of the gatherings. The sessions started about three years ago, and the four would meet up once or twice a month.

Kurokawa became head of the Tokyo High Public Prosecutors Office in January 2019. He would have reached the mandatory retirement age of 63 for officials in his position in February 2020.

But shortly before that, the administration of then Prime Minister Shinzo Abe changed the government interpretation of the National Public Service Law to extend Kurokawa’s retirement age. 

That move caused an uproar among not just opposition lawmakers, but also a number of retired top prosecutors because the change was believed to allow Kurokawa to take over as prosecutor-general, the top post among public prosecutors. Kurokawa was considered close to the Abe administration.

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