In a compelling episode of Japan Today Spotlight released on 28 August 2025, the systemic flaws of Japan’s criminal justice system are laid bare, highlighting how prolonged pretrial detention, relentless interrogations without legal counsel, and coercive detention environments often subvert the presumption of innocence. This practice, commonly referred to as “hostage justice,” is shown to rely heavily on forced confessions, even from innocent suspects
Key Exposures Include:
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A 99.9% conviction rate—not a sign of judicial efficiency, but a symptom of a system built on extraction of confessions rather than fair evidence review
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Forced detention cycles—under Japanese law, suspects can be held up to 23 days without charge, and if they refuse to cooperate, they can be re-arrested under new charges, effectively resetting the clock
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Brutal detention routines—many detainees are held in small, windowless cells known as daiyō kangoku, subjected to sleep deprivation, bright lights, and hours of stress-inducing interrogation
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Notable miscarriages of justice—as in the case of Iwao Hakamada, coerced into confessing after 264 hours of interrogation, only to be exonerated decades later. His ordeal echoes the coercive pressures that Carlos Ghosn himself has condemned
The spotlight further underscores that Ghosn’s detention followed this exact pattern, repeated arrests, oppressive bail conditions, and isolation, prompting his decision to leave and characterize his ordeal as “escaping injustice,” not justice
Read the full article : https://japantoday.com/category/spotlight/japan-today-spotlight-30-japan-hostage-justice-guilty-until-proven-innocent