The prisons in Japan are called Keimusho [刑務所] and impress with their competence and their differentiated treatment habits towards prisoners and administration. In this article, we will learn more about the prisons and what happens when one is arrested.
Unlike the idea we have of a prison, Japan does not suffer from overcrowded or poorly maintained prisons. In Japan, prisoners are treated equally, receive the same amount of food, wear the same uniform, and perform manual labor.
Fortunately, Japanese prisons have almost no violence among prisoners; no revenge killings and no rapes. Things are so peaceful that there is usually only one guard to take care of 40 inmates.
Prisoners are classified according to gender, nationality, type of sentence, duration of the sentence, degree of criminality, and physical and mental health. The penitentiary system is divided for adults, juveniles, and in guidance houses for women (to rehabilitate prostitutes).
Prisoners wear uniforms and there is a prescribed way to walk, talk, eat, sit, and sleep. If a mistake is made, punishment is administered! The most common is the loss of privileges, such as recreation time, access to TV, and loss of more sought-after jobs.
Table of Contents
What Happens When You Are Arrested in Japan?
Before we talk about prisons, it is good to understand what happens when one is arrested. In Japan, arrested individuals have almost no rights. As soon as someone is arrested, they are guilty until proven otherwise.
Most of those who are arrested are convicted, so the police rarely make mistakes when arresting someone. If you insist on being innocent, the treatment will be even harsher and will be interpreted as remorse. If guilty, the best thing is to confess!
The investigation process is harsh; you cannot sleep and will eat only cold rice with raw egg. A process that can last about 12 hours of psychological pressure to sign a confession.
All Japanese legislation benefits the state and not the defendant. A person can be detained for interrogation for 48 hours, and they can request preventive detention for 10 days. A person can be held for up to 23 days without being charged with any crime.
In some cases, the embassy may not be able to help you; you will be treated according to Japanese laws. State lawyers are expensive, add additional fees, and do not do much. If convicted, you can bring books in your language to prison.
I Was Arrested in Japan, But I’m Innocent! Am I Screwed?
I read comments from people who read a certain article on the internet and were even left with 15 things to know before traveling to Japan. and being innocently arrested, but things are not quite like that. Let’s understand some facts about the imprisonment of innocents in Japan.
First, people need to stop believing everything they read on the internet. Although they are facts, much of that article was written in a generalized and frightening way to generate shares.
In Japan, the police and competent authorities investigate the life of the criminal or suspect before taking them into custody. So the individual is only arrested when caught, identified in the act, or when there is certainty that the individual committed a crime…
There have indeed been cases where the investigation led innocents to prison, and the suspects were only released after decades. The police apologized on national TV and somehow compensated the suspect and their family for the time detained.
These cases are rare; I believe they are rarer than innocent people being arrested in Brazil, even with Brazilians having their fragile laws that release criminals. I believe there were fewer than 3 cases where innocents were convicted for a long time.
A bus driver was arrested due to a DNA test collected from the young victim. After 30 years, he was exonerated, receiving compensation and a very high pension, having already bought several houses for family members and spends his retirement traveling around the country.
There is no reason to be afraid of being arrested in Japan as a tourist; the laws are different for people who are traveling or have permanent visas. Even if you accidentally hit someone, you will not receive the same treatment as the criminals mentioned earlier.
Types of Prisons in Japan
There are different types of prisons and detentions in Japan; let’s briefly talk about each of them:
Kouchishou [拘置所] – It is a facility of the Ministry of Justice, which mainly houses unconvicted prisoners (criminal defendants) and people sentenced to death. A strict prison, each person is placed in their cell in isolation.
Shōnen keimusho [少年刑務所] – It accommodates people who have been subjected to penal sanctions as a result of judicial actions or similar, violating laws and regulations. Although it is intended for young people under 20 years old, it can accommodate up to 26 years old.
Joshi keimusho [女子刑務所] – They are like male prisons but for women. There is no juvenile prison for women; they are housed in wings of a women’s prison. A large part of the female prisoners are there recovering from prostitution.
Keiji Shisetsu [刑事施設] – Refers to a facility that accommodates people sentenced to free imprisonment in Japan, sentenced to death, and suspects and defendants in custody. According to the old penitentiary law, it was called a prison.
The law has undergone several changes in the prison system. It is important to clarify that there are different types of detention, conviction, rehabilitation, and others. See below some of the punishments for convicts in Japan:
Choueki [懲役] – This is a criminal punishment that allows for a free sentence but under penal servitude; imprisonment with hard labor, working to pay for one’s crimes.
Kinko [禁錮] – Long-term punishment that does not impose work obligations in a legal system that defines categories such as work obligations for free sentences. In other words, a prison (without forced labor); incarceration and confinement.
Kouryuu [拘留] – Short-term criminal penalty that does not impose work obligations in the legal system that defines the division of labor as tax-exempt. Translated as custody; short detention and confinement.
How Are Prisons in Japan?
The jails or prisons in Japan are well-regulated and strict. Upon arrival, you receive a huge manual on how to behave inside. This explains why there is no violence, armed guards, and high walls in Japanese prisons.
The inmates wear uniforms, and there are rules for everything, in the way of walking, eating, sitting, standing, sleeping, and even talking. If the rules are not followed, punishment may be applied. You must eat looking down, sleep showing your face.
Showers are only allowed a few times a week under the supervision of guards. The infirmary is used only for emergencies; many have to deal with pain or minor issues, mainly due to the lack of doctors on standby.
External Contact
Talking is allowed only for a limited time and during the day. No conjugal visits; visits from relatives must last between 5 to 30 minutes. Visitors must be closely related or be lawyers, no fiancées or girlfriends.
Even the sending of letters is controlled, reviewed, and censored. Letters can only be written in English and Japanese. Prisoners must bear all costs and expenses for sending and posting the letter.
Depending on the prison, all prisoners work, either internally or externally for companies that have contracts with the government. The pay is very low, not exceeding a few cents per hour. Fortunately, it is a chance to see the outside.
Meals in Japanese Prison
The meals in Japanese prison are limited according to a calorie limit imposed. There are only three meals a day, with rice, vegetables, and a little meat or fish. Many end up losing weight in prison.
Those with any religious restrictions can bureaucratically request such diets. Foreigners can choose to eat bread instead of rice for breakfast.
Good Things in Japanese Prison
Professional and formal education is emphasized, as well as instruction in social values. Most convicts engage in labor work, for which a small allowance is reserved for use upon release.
Prisons in Japan have a system that emphasizes incentives; prisoners are initially assigned to community cells and then earn better accommodations and additional privileges based on their good behavior.
Although some young offenders are treated under the general penal system, most are treated in separate training schools for youth. More lenient than penal institutions, these institutions offer correctional education and regular schooling.
Volunteers are also used in supervising probation, although professional probation officers usually supervise offenders considered at high risk of recidivism.
Problems in Japanese Prisons
One of the biggest problems in Japanese prisons is diseases, which are caused by the arrival of winter. Many jails do not have heating, and this causes various health problems for a prisoner. There are also some health issues caused by sanitary conditions.
Besides Japanese prisons being some of the strictest in the world, they are much stricter with foreigners who suffer discrimination and still cannot speak their native language, only Japanese.
This rule aims to prevent disorder, such as planning to kill someone, escape, or rebellion. If this restriction did not exist, the guards would not have the capacity to understand what was being discussed among the prisoners.
Many claim that the rules and prisons in Japan are too strict, cruel, inhumane, and draconian. It seems that the guards are ready to make your life a hell. Does this treatment really help to readjust the convict?
The Japanese Prison System allows the inmate personal restructuring, but this depends on each individual. If there are laws in prisons, it is because some prisoners disobey. Some fight over TV programs, others even commit suicide.
Prisons in Japan vs. Prisons in Brazil
Some question the strictness of Japanese prisons, but it has been much worse. In the Era of Absolute Emperors, a Japanese prison was like a Death Camp operating slowly, like the Camps in North Korea or the Prisons in China.
Prisoners were tortured by the guards, sometimes even to death to serve as an example. When there was overcrowding, a prisoner received authority from the Chief of Cell to kill other prisoners to make space. Nowadays, prisons in Japan are luxury hotels.
Although Brazil seems to have less strict prisons that are good for discipline and rehabilitation of inmates, the reality is different from what is thought. Many prisons in Brazil are lawless, full of violence, filthy, and precarious.
The Brazilian Prison System does not improve anyone, so much so that it is called a School of Crime. So if you feel sorry for those who are imprisoned in Japan, feel sorry for the prisoners in Brazil, where it is worse. The only difference is that in Brazil not everyone goes to prison.
Curiosities About Prisons in Japan
In Japan, there are about 60 prisoners for every 100,000 inhabitants or about 75,000 prisoners in total. A very low figure compared to 1990, which was 47,000. One of the reasons is the increase in the number of elderly committing crimes to go to prison due to loneliness or lack of financial conditions.
Those under 20 years old are taken for educational correction. The number of young prisoners is much lower than adults, mainly because of the low crime rate. In Japan, we can say: Young people are the future of our Nation!
Volunteers are used to supervise people on probation. Most of these volunteers tend to be people over 50 years old or more.
In Japan, there are 62 prisons, 7 juvenile prisons, 52 juvenile classification houses, 52 training schools for youth, 8 detention houses, 8 regional probation councils, and 50 probation offices.
Between 1990 and 2002, about 1,500 prisoners died under suspicious circumstances. Only 2 deaths were related to abuse, and another 10 deaths were due to poor medical care. The rest of the deaths were declared non-suspicious.
There is a more severe punishment that involves sitting on your knees in front of a wall for hours or even days. Solitary confinement is also used. In Japan, hanging execution still exists since 1873 for the most serious crimes.
Almost all prisoners work, either in prison maintenance or as contracted labor for private companies, six days a week.
What do you think of Japanese prisons? Do you know any more details that were left out? Leave your comments and share with friends.
Leave a Reply