Japan’s ‘Hostage Justice’ Survivors Urge Legal Reforms at Diet

By Human Rights Watch

Click to expand Image Masaaki Ohkawara (L), president of Ohkawara Kakohki Co., Ltd., and Junji Shimada (C) attend a press conference in Tokyo on June 5, 2024. © 2024 The Yomiuri Shimbun via AP Images On Wednesday, in Japan’s Diet, the House of Representatives Committee on Judicial Affairs held a hearing on the country’s abusive “hostage justice” system. To pressure suspects to confess to crimes, prosecutors have long detained people prior to trial for prolonged and arbitrary periods: sometimes for several months or even years.This was an extraordinary moment for human rights in Japan.At…

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