Educational Media Reviews Online

As a prosperous and democratic society, Japan takes pride in its low crime rate. Justice Japan Style argues that Japan’s criminal justice system is corrupt at every level from the police through the courts and on into its prisons. Australian journalist Ian Altschwager interviewed former inmates, family members, justice officials and activists for this documentary revealing a system of brutal interrogations, denial of human rights, false convictions, hidden jailhouse violence, and suspicious deaths.

Most Japanese criminal suspects are convicted, usually based on confessions elicited by the police. Police can hold and question suspects for weeks without charging them or allowing them legal counsel during interrogations. Under these circumstances many suspects confess. Some have reported threats against themselves or their families; some report being physically abused.

Altschwager profiles two Japanese prisons notorious for harsh treatment of inmates. In Fukuoka silence is enforced at all times; prison regulations govern the smallest details of daily life such as how to sit down or lie in bed. In the Nagoya jail inmates have reportedly been beaten, tortured and even killed. Censorship and secrecy surrounding the jail system make it difficult for activists and politicians to obtain information about prison conditions or argue for reform.

Japan executes a relatively large number of prisoners by hanging. Altschwager profiles death row prisoners and their families, including Sakae Menda, the first Japanese inmate to have his conviction overturned after being sentenced to death. A death row inmate is usually told only an hour beforehand that his day of execution has arrived; sometimes his family will not even be notified of his death. Men sentenced to death are often renounced by their families, who face discrimination in employment and social ostracism if they do not support the death penalty.

Altschwager’s narration provides context for eyewitness accounts of the “third-world” nature of the Japanese system. The stories of former inmates, family members and activists are smoothly edited, transitions are clear and the information is reinforced by footage of inmates’ daily activities inside the prisons. Violent acts are described verbally but no injuries or violent scenes are shown, although videotape of a prisoner being blindfolded and prepared for hanging is excerpted during an interview with a death penalty opponent.

Justice Japan Style is highly recommended for students investigating the Japanese justice system by itself or as an aspect of Japanese culture, or doing cross-cultural studies in criminal justice.