And to your point about about the problem with the justice system, I agree… It was absolutly clear that the prosecutors and others were aligned with those in power (possibly with influence from friends such as the executives those at the Fuji Television station) were going to make an example of him.

Now is that an example of clean running legal system? I think not…

I’ve also been surprised by the pervasiveness of this idea that his refusal to cooperate with prosecutors and judges clearly aligned with the proesecution is an indication of his exceedingly foul character.

Horie did some shady stuff and it’s about time that white collar crime was treated seriously, but his trial brings up the endemic problems of the justice system once again.

Horie’s jail term could have been talked about under the politics section of TPR news because there’s no doubt in my mind that his sentence was politically motivated. Many cases of this nature usually get suspended sentence. And not only that but Horie’s actions of going against the grain and stepping out of line was a major afront to the establishment. I remember driving by Livedoor’s main office and just knowing he was going to see jail time no matter how good defense was.