In the event of an arrest in Japan, regardless of your guilt or innocence, what is going to happen?

In 2023, Human Rights Watch published its 101-page report, “Japan’s ‘Hostage Justice’ System”.  It found that Japan’s system of “hostage justice” is rife with human rights abuse, including coercing suspects to confess through repeated arrests and denial of bail and questioning them without a lawyer. The international community has labeled this tactic, “hostage justice”. Once indicted, Japan’s conviction rate is 99.8%.

Human Rights Watch conducted extensive research in eight prefectures interviewing 30 people undergoing or having experienced criminal interrogation and persecution as well as speaking to lawyers, academics, journalists, prosecutors, and suspects’ families for the report. The long-standing “hostage justice” system, in existence has adverse implications for Japanese business and tarnishes the country’s international reputation. This system may act as a deterrent for foreign business executives considering relocation to Japan, especially as many non-Japanese citizens become victims of this system.

In this policy salon, we invite you to engage with Kanae Doi, Japan Director of Human Rights Watch, and Dr. Kana Sasakura from Konan University, who also serves as the Executive Director of Innocence Project Japan. Together, they will discuss necessary policy reforms and explore how the international and business community can address these issues. We are also privileged to welcome guest speakers, Junji Shimada, Former Director of Ohkawara Kakohki Co., Ltd, and Marcus Cavazos, both of whom have firsthand experience of the "hostage justice" system after being wrongly accused and later exonerated.

Event and Registration Details

• This event will be conducted in in-person and online, and registration is required.
• In-person participation is for members and guests only. Please pay your fee by credit card (Visa or Mastercard only) or at the door.
• Online participation is open to the public and free.

Speaker Bios

Kanae Doi
Japan Director, Human Rights Watch

Kanae Doi, Japan Director, works to encourage the Japanese Government to prioritize human rights in its foreign and domestic policies and practices. She also works on media outreach and the development of Human Rights Watch's profile in Japan.

Prior to joining Human Rights Watch in 2006, she worked as a practicing attorney, based in Tokyo. Her practice included refugee law, immigration law, constitutional law and criminal defense, and she frequently gave media interviews and published on these issues in the Japanese press from the perspective of international human rights law. Doi received her law degree from the University of Tokyo and her Master's degree in the International Studies from the New York University School of Law. She speaks English and Japanese.

Kana Sasakura
Faculty of Law, Konan University/ Executive Director, Innocence Project Japan

Kana Sasakura, Ph.D., is Professor of Law at Konan University Faculty of Law in Kobe, Japan. Her research interests include criminal procedure, wrongful convictions/accusations, forensic science, and the death penalty. She is one of the co-founders of the Innocence Project Japan which launched in 2016 and currently the Executive Director. In 2017 she co-founded and is co-directing SBS (Shaken Baby Syndrome) Review Project Japan. She is also the Executive Director of Japan Law and Psychology Society and also on the board of Japanese Association of Sociological Criminology.

Junji Shimada
Former Director, Ohkawara Kakohki Co., Ltd.

Mr. Shimada was arrested in March 2020 after being charged with violating the Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Act in connection with the export of machinery manufactured by his company. He was detained for 332 days before the start of trial because he consistently refused to confess. The prosecutors subsequently canceled the indictment four days before the first trial (July 30, 2021), and the court also dismissed it on August 21, 2021, finding Mr. Shimada and others not guilty. One of his colleagues, who was arrested at the same time, was diagnosed with stomach cancer while in custody and passed away without being allowed bail.

Marcus Cavazos

Mr. Cavazos was an English teacher from the U.S.A., who moved to Japan more than a decade ago for the love of Japan, especially its pop culture. His motto is to be kind to anyone - and he offered a friend from abroad to stay at his home. The friend used his home address to pick up a package, which contained methamphetamine. Suspected of smuggling stimulants, he was arrested and charged in October 2018. He remained in pre-trial detention for 180 days because he refused to confess. He was finally released on bail in April 2019. In the same year, he was acquitted by a court.