Japanese Gov't Lawyer Ousted for Shady Debt Collections Re-applies for License

Hoping for a combination of short memories, second chances, and the opportunity for a different third act to his life, a Japanese lawyer, Kohei Nakabo, has recently applied to have his lawyering privileges reinstated.

It might still be too soon, though, for the short-memory option: 16 months previously, Nakabo was stripped of his attorney’s license for inappropriate debt collections by a government-backed body he had headed.  While Nakabo may think a year and a handful of months is time enough to heal those wounds – others may not be so eager to see the 77-year-old back in the game.

There’s also the fact that prosecutors had decided to go easy on him, since Nakabo had said he would resign as a lawyer.

According to a news report, in the case for which he once faced prosecution, the Resolution and Collection Corp. (RCC) under-reported the price at which a land lot put up as collateral for financial institutions was disposed of in 1998, so that it could collect a larger amount of debts. As RCC president, Nakabo was accused of approving the inappropriate debt collection.

His application to be re-registered as a lawyer will be examined by the bar association. If it agrees to re-register him as a lawyer, it will refer the application to the Japan Federation of Bar Associations.