JAPAN NOOSE OR PNEUMONIA ?, ONE DAY IN 1948, A WELL DRESSED 
MIDDLE AGED MAN WALKED INTO A BRANCH OF TOKYO'S TEIKOKU BANK 
WEARING THE ARMBAND OF A MUNICIPAL OFFICIAL . CLAIMING THAT HE 
WAS A CITY HEALTH INSPECTOR, THE MAN ORDERED THE BANK MANAGER 
TO SUMMON ALL HIS EMPLOYEES SO THAT HE COULD GIVE THEM 
A DOSE OF ANTI-DYSENTERY MEDICINE . THE EMPLOYEES GULPED THE POTION, 
THEN COLLAPSED IN AGONY . FROM THE OPEN VAULTS, THE MEDICINE 
MAN GRABBED ABOUT $185 IN CASH AND DISAPPEARED INTO THE STREET 
. BEHIND HIM, TWELVE PEOPLE LAY DEAD OF CYANIDE POISONING . 
THEN BEGAN THE HUNT . FROM WITNESSES, ARTISTS DREW A COMPOSITE 
PICTURE OF THE ROBBER . EIGHT MONTH AFTER THE ROBBERY, POLICE 
FINALLY NABBED A PRIME SUSPECT : A 57-YEAR-OLD PROFESSIONAL PAINTER NAMED 
SADAMICHI HIRASAWA . HIRASAWA FIRST ADMITTED HIS GUILT, THEN RETRACTED THE 
CONFESSION . HE WAS TRIED, CONVICTED, AND SENTENCED TO HANG . 
TWO OUT OF 40 . LAST WEEK, EIGHT YEARS AFTER HIS 
LAST APPEAL WAS DENIED, HIRASAWA, NOW 72, WAS STILL IN JAIL 
UNDER A DEATH SENTENCE JAPANESE ARTISTS, WRITERS AND INTELLECTUALS HAVE RALLIED 
TO HIS SUPPORT AND LAWYERS HAVE PROTESTED AGAINST THE SEVERITY OF 
THE SENTENCE . " IT SEEMS TO ME, " SAYS ONE 
FORMER TOKYO MAGISTRATE, " THAT THE EVIDENCE WAS PRETTY FLIMSY . 
" THE JUDGE MIGHT HAVE A POINT . HIRASAWA INSISTED THAT 
THE REPUDIATED CONFESSION WAS EXTRACTED FROM HIM BY TORTURE IN A 
BRUTAL NONSTOP INTERROGATION . LATER, THE PAINTER'S TWO SONS-IN-LAW CLAIMED THAT 
HE WAS PLAYING CARDS WITH THEM AT THE TIME OF THE 
ROBBERY . ONLY TWO OF THE 40 EYEWITNESSES OF THE CRIME 
POSITIVELY IDENTIFIED HIRASAWA AS THE ROBBER AND BOTH WERE INCREASINGLY UNSURE 
AS THE TRIAL WORE ON . THE ONLY CLUE POINTING TO 
HIRASAWA WAS THE CALLING CARD OF THE SUPPOSED HEALTH INSPECTOR, WHICH 
THE ROBBER HAD LEFT BEHIND IN THE BANK ; HANDWRITING EXPERTS 
DETERMINED THAT THE WRITING ON THE BACK OF THE CARD WAS 
HIRASAWA'S . THE PAINTER NEVER DENIED THAT HE ONCE HAD THE 
CARD, BUT CLAIMED THAT IT HAD BEEN STOLEN FROM HIM WHEN 
HIS WALLET WAS PICKPOCKETED SHORTLY BEFORE THE ROBBERY . PAINTING IN 
THE DEATH HOUSE THREE JAPANESE APPELLATE COURTS HAVE UPHELD THE ORIGINAL 
VERDICT, BUT THE RAPID TURNOVER OF JUSTICE MINISTERS IN TEN CABINET 
RESHUFFLES SINCE 1955 HAS HELPED KEEP HIRASAWA ALIVE . " IF 
THEIR HEARTS WERE IN IT, THEY COULD HAVE READ THE RECORD 
AND SIGNED THE DEATH WARRANT LONG AGO, SAYS ONE FORMER JAPANESE 
JUDGE . BUT THEY WERE AFRAID, AND I WOULD BE, TOO 
. " HIRASAWA HAS APPLIED FOR A NEW TRIAL, BUT HIS 
APPLICATION HAS NO LEGAL STAYING FORCE ON THE ORDER OF EXECUTION 
. TO FOCUS ATTENTION ON HIS CASE, HIRASAWA'S SUPPORTERS ARRANGED FOR 
AN EXHIBITION OF 50 OF THE 480 TEMPERA PAINTINGS THAT HE 
HAS TURNED OUT IN HIS 15 YEARS IN THE DEATH HOUSE 
. HIRASAWA'S BACKERS HAVE ALSO CIRCULATED COPIES OF THE ORIGINAL COMPOSITE 
NEWSPAPER DRAWING OF THE ROBBER IN HOPES OF TURNING UP NEW 
SUSPECTS . LAST NOVEMBER STATE OFFICIALS MOVED THE PAINTER FROM TOKYO 
PRISON TO REMOTE, UNHEATED MIYAGI DETENTION HOUSE IN NORTHERN JAPAN WHERE 
ALL JAPANESE EXECUTIONS ARE CARRIED OUT . " HE WAS MOVED 
UP THERE TO DIE, BUT NOT BY HANGING, / SAYS ONE 
OF HIS SUPPORTERS . " THE GOVERNMENT HOPES HE'LL DIE UP 
THERE FASTER OF NATURAL CAUSES, BECAUSE MIYAGI IS COLD AND UNHEALTHY 
. THAT WAY, THEY CAN KEEP HIS BLOOD OFF THEIR HANDS 
OFFICIALLY . 