Thursday 11:25PM EST: Just moments ago, a Japanese judge handed down a ruling against HaBochur Yosef ben Ita Rivka, the youngest of the three Bochrim wrongfully imprisoned in Japan.
According to initial reports he was sentenced to 5 years in prison R”L but can take off a 3rd of the time for good behavior. Additionally, he can use the 266 days he already served in prison towards his sentence. This give him a sentence of approximately 2 years and 7 seven months in jail.
Askanim are still working at this time to convince the judge to allow him to carry out his sentence in an Israeli prison. Apparently the law does not allow the transfer to Israel, so an attempt is being made to have the law changed.
UPDATE 11:40PM EST: The judge has reportedly agreed for the extradition to Israel, but the law needs to be changed. This will take some time. The judge also ruled that a $40,000 fine must be paid.
(Dov Gordon / Lipas-YWN)
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21 Responses
poor child….my heart goes out to him & his family…
Hashem Yerachem
Ouch! Afillu Cherev Munachas Al…..
All Yisyaayesh…..
Lets all continue to pray
hatzoleh porteh!
Hasn’t he served more than 266 days?
hashem yrachem
Lipas: Chabad rabbi who was in court room says judge also find the bucher with $40,000 fine.
keep davening!!! for this bachor and the other two who still await trial! there is alot still up in the air and Hashem can change everything! keep these innocent boys in your tefillos! and we should hear yeshuos iyh
#3 you are absolutely right. everybody just keep on davening &don’t give up hashem will definitely help.We yidden know that its never too late, hashem has many ways to help. in mitzrayem &in the holocaust etc. it also looked like no end in sight&hashem showed everybody “WHO” he is and that “ONLY” he can help &the same will be here i”yh
the money is the least of the problem. That will be put together in a jiffy. It’s not even that much.
does the time he served count towards the three years or do the three years/five years start from the sentancing?
if he”s in Israeli jail maybe we can make a prisoner swap with japan?
My heart goes out to everyone involevd but iyh he will sit in isreal and hopefully be able to have better conditions that he had till now. May we share only in simchas and may he come out of this bruchnies ok
Although this is terrible it appears that there is some real Chasdei Hashem here. After all they were originally talking 12 years. We must still daven that he should be allowed to go back to Israel at least.
i dont understand-so is this boy going to sit in a japanese prison or israeli prison as of now?
as bad as this sounds, theres still chasdei hashem in this.
these boys were worried about many more years in japenese prisons!!!
obviously none would be better, but this is still more or less a nes!!!
hashem yeracham!!! i hope these boys come out soon!
If Japan is agreeing to allow him to serve in Israel, this is wonderful, and I wonder there is someone we can write to in Japan, something along these lines:
We fully appreciate the scourge of drugs on society and Japan’s strict enforcement of laws to prevent societal damage. We appreciate your generous and good-willed gesture to allow this young man to serve his sentence in his own country. Israeli prisons have done excellent rehabilitation work with willing prisoners; this young man will emerge fully rehabilitated and will only contribute meaningfully to society in the future.
People should realize the Nisim that transpired in this verdict. I recall not too long ago the press reported that it was 99.9 % certain that the sentance would be 15 years hard labor compared to similar cases with that verdict. Due to increased Tefilos and Tehilim worldwide,the sentance was significantly reduced. Who knows if more people were to take time and daven with extra concentration, maybe he would have been totally exonerated. The next time around when the sentance is due for the other 2, there should be an obligation for every city to gather en masse and pour our hearts out to the Ribonei Shel Oilam, maybe then a verdict in our favor will transpire.
why didn’t they have Tehillim rallies until now?
#17 Tzippi:
“Rehabilitation work…….will emerge fully rehabilitated” ?
Youre making it sound like hes an addict os something. The only rehabilitation this kid needs is from the days he spent in Jail.
For those people who are uninformed the Japanese are far from being tadikim. They have one of the most powerful,blood thirsty and wreckless mafias in the world. The Yakuza. So much for their strict prison sentences. Thay let clean up their own house first,and make an example with their own kind.