The yeshiva student imprisoned in Japan landed in Eretz Yisroel after being acquitted of all charges following three years of incarceration.
Since the painful case began after the young man was arrested on suspicions of smuggling after he had been duped into carrying contraband, extraordinary diplomatic and legal efforts were made to prove the young man's innocence and to end his difficult imprisonment.
Last Monday, Erev Rosh Chodesh Elul, the trial was held, and through chasdei Shomayim, despite deep concerns, the defendant was cleared of all the charges and the Japanese court declared he was not guilty.
On Tuesday at 7:30 a.m. he was released from the immigration holding facility where acquitted prisoners are held and from there he was taken to a hotel near the airport. Later he flew to Korea and then boarded a Korean Airlines flight bound for Eretz Yisroel. Upon arriving on Flight 957 he was greeted at the airport by ecstatic relatives.
Those involved in the case are still working to secure the release of the other defendant, who remains in prison, and ask that prayers be said for the swift release of Yaakov Yosef ben Raisel.
