Forensic Analysis in the Wakayama Arsenic Case.

Abstract

In the Wakayama poisoned curry incident in July 1998, 67 inhabitants were killed or injured by eating arsenic-laced curry at a neighborhood summer festival in Wakayama, a local city 400 km southwest of Tokyo. Heavy elements at ppm level, including arsenic, were discovered in the curry using SPring-8, a synchrotron radiation facility, as the tool for forensic analysis. This material evidence resulted in the accused being convicted and sentenced to death. Further analysis and review by other experts indicated the data presented in the trial were not enough to definitively identify the suspect as the murderer. This review highlights the potentially misinterpreted data and re-analysis truth.