March 17 A 12 year old girl is reported missing at the Kabutoyama Gakuen,
a school for mentally disabled children.
March 19 A 12 year old boy disappears from the school. Both were found
drowned in a septic tank on the school grounds.
April 7 Etsuko Yamada, a teacher at the school, is arrested on suspicion
of murder.
April 7-28 Yamada is interrogated day and night until police coerce
confessions.
April 28 The Kobe District Prosecutors Office releases Yamada, pending
further investigation.
July 30 Yamada and her codefendants file suit against the state and
the Hyogo Prefectural Police seeking damages under the Criminal Compensation
Law and the State Redress Act.
Nov. 22 First Hearing in damages suit.
1975
Sept, 23. Kobe Prosecutors' office officially drops the case against
Yamada due to lack of evidence.
Oct. 3. Mother of the deceased boy files a complaint with the Kobe
Prosecution Review Commission.
1976
Oct 28. The Prosecution Review Commission announces that the prosecution's
decision to drop the case was unjustifiable.
1978
Feb 27 Yamada is rearrested. Police also arrest Kiyoshi Araki, former
principal of the Kabutoyama School and another former teacher, Yuko Tada,
on charges of lying under oath in their suit against the state. The police
also search the homes of Yamada, the office of her Support Association,
and fifteen of its members confiscating over one thousand pieces of personal
property.
March 9 Kobe prosecutors indict Yamada.
March 20 The novel, Sosa Ichi Kacho [Police Sergeant, Homicide Division]
viewing Yamada as murderer and two of her colleagues as accomplices, is
published.
March 24 Yamada is released on bail.
June 5 Trial begins before the Kobe District Court.
1980
March Japan Federation of Bar Associations issues warning to Kobe District
prosecutor citing unlawfulness of the second investigation of the case.
1985
April 18 Prosecutors, in closing argument, demand 13 years for Yamada.
Oct 17 Kobe District Court acquits Yamada.
Oct 29 Prosecutors file for appeal to the Osaka High Court citing "inadequate
consideration of evidence."
1987
Nov 17 Kobe District Court finds Araki and Tada innocent. District
prosecutor appeals.
1990
March 23. Osaka High Court overturns the decision remanding the case
back to the Kobe District Court. The defense appeals this decision to the
Supreme Court.
1992
April 7 Supreme Court Upholds Osaka High Court Decision, quashing the
appeal of the defense.
1993
Jan 22 Osaka High Court overturns innocent verdicts of Araki and Tada,
remands the case to the lower court.
Feb 19 Second trial for Yamada starts before the Kobe District Court.
1995
Osaka District Court awards Yamada 1,760, 000 yen ($15,000) in damages
against the author of "Homicide Detective, First Division".
1997
July 1 Prosecutors again demand thirteen year prison sentence.
Oct 25 Richard Jewell, former security guard at the Atlanta Olympics
falsely accused of setting the bomb he discovered, and attorney Watson
Bryant participate in a symposium with T. Kohno, vilified suspect in the
Matsumoto gas attack of 1994, in a forum "Kabutoyama Case: Bring It
To An End!"
1998
March 24 Kobe District Court again acquits Yamada for the second time.
April 14 Prosecutors appeal to the Osaka High Court.
1999
Jan 22 First hearing before the High Court began
March 31 The Osaka High Court closes hearings with five sessions taking
only two months.
September 29 The decision is scheduled to be given for Yamada
October 22 The decision for Araki and October 29 for Tada.