Rights group slams Japan’s ‘hostage’ justice system

Updated 1 week ago · Published on 25 May 2023 5:00PM · 0 Comments

Japan’s Justice Ministry has commissioned research into criminal code reforms after allegations of rights abuses, but Human Rights Watch thinks this effort is unlikely to produce positive recommendations. – EPA pic, May 25, 2023.

JAPAN’s justice system “systematically” violates suspects’ rights by routinely denying bail and extending detentions through re-arrests, Human Rights Watch (HRW) alleged today.

A report compiled over three years by the civil society group took aim at the country’s “hostage justice” system – a term widely used after former Nissan chief Carlos Ghosn’s shock arrest and escape from Japan sparked scrutiny of the process.