our reporter mitsuko nishikawa joins us live with details. mitsuko. >> reporter: hi, catherine. i'm in a park that's right next to the tokyo district court. many people are waiting, hoping to win seats for the public gallery. in yet another sign ichiro ozawa's case is attracting a lot of attention, it's extremely rare for a powerful politician in japan to be facing criminal charges in court. security is being increased in and around the building. ozawa is accused of falsifying financial reports. the charges are in connection with a $5.2 million purchase his political organization made. three of his former secretaries including house of representatives member tomohiro ishikawa were also caught up in the scandal. a lower court found them guilty last month. the case has focused on whether ozawa conspired with and delivered some kind of orders to his former aides. he has consistently denied any involvement. it is expected that he will again profess his innocence in court. back to you, catherine. >> thanks very much, mitsuko. mitsuko nishikawa there outside the tokyo district court.

nhk world's mitsuko takes us through ozawa's first day in court. >> reporter: many people lined up for a chance to witness the first day of ichiro ozawa's trial. they took part in a lottery to win a gallery seat available to the public. it's a sign of how much attention this case is getting. >> translator: i came here because i want to find out exactly what the truth is. >> reporter: security was tight in and around the court building. dozens of photographs and tv crews are staking out a position to capture the best image of ozawa's arrival. the hearing started at 10:00 a.m. ozawa is accused of ordering his aides to falsify a financial report involving a multimillion-dollar land purchase made by his political funding organization. the court took a recess after sitting for about two hours. early on, ozawa pleaded not guilty to the charges. he spoke for about ten minutes, insisting he knew nothing about the crime. >> ozawa is accused of falsifying financial reports with three of his former aides, the case involves a $5.2 million land purchase made by his political funding organization. h