Prison Conditions in Japan HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH/Asia HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH Prison Project 485 Fifth Avenue New York, NY 10017-6104 tel: 212/ 972-8400 fax: 212/972-0905 e-mail: hrwnyc@hrw.org 1522 K Street, N.W. Washington D.C. 20005-1202 tel: 202/371-6592 fax: 202/371-0124 e-mail: hrwdc@hrw.org Embargoed Until Thursday March 9, 1995, 3 pm Tokyo Time
TITLE: 3/9/95

Prison Conditions in Japan

In Prison Conditions in Japan, released today, Human Rights Watch charges that prisoners there experience routine violations of human rights from the moment of arrest to the end of their sentences. It calls for immediate penal reform, based on Japan's obligations under international human rights standards. Japanese prisons are quiet and orderly, the report says, but order comes at a high price. Detention during interrogation in police stations can be brutal. Prolonged solitary confinement, sometimes for months and even years at a time is widely used in detention centers and prisons. Contacts between prisoners and the outside world is tightly restricted, including contact between prisoners and their lawyers. Rules, written and unwritten, are minutely detailed, and failure to observe them can result in draconian punishments. The report also documents numerous instances of brutality by guards. Human Rights Watch has investigated prison conditions in over twenty countries and concludes that the failings in Japan's system are not typical of other prisons. In Japan, most prisoners live in adequate cells with adequate food and clothing, and overcrowding is not a problem. But the extreme regimentation of daily life with harsh penalties for infractions, the lack of human contact for extended periods of time, and the very strict limits on contact with the outside world make living conditions intolerable. The report is based on interviews in Japan with over twenty former prisoners, relatives of current prisoners, clergy, prisoner support group members, lawyers handling current or recent prisoner litigation cases and on information provided by government officials. Human Rights Watch had initially requested visits to prison facilities and appreciates the willingness of the Japanese Ministry of Justice to grant that request. But in order to ensure that prison visits are not simply guided tours of model institutions, Human Rights Watch insists that its delegates have the ability to see the entire prison, to take notes, make sketches and to measure cells. These conditions were made known to the Japanese government when the visits were first requested, but when in the course of the first scheduled prison visit it became clear that the delegates would be much more restricted, Human Rights Watch regretfully cancelled the remaining visits. Human Rights Watch concludes in this report that Japan is in urgent need of a thorough reform of its prison system. New prison legislation that conforms to international standards and treaties by which the country is bound is crucial. The law ought to be grounded on the premise that prisoners have both obligations and rights. Human Rights Watch provides a detailed set of recommendations for all aspects of the prison experience, including pre-indictment detention, prison rules, punishment, activities and work, contacts among prisoners, physical conditions, outside inspections, and contacts between prisoners and the outside world. Prison Conditions in Japan is available from the Publications Department, Human Rights Watch, 485 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10017-6104 for $12.00 (domestic), $15.00 (international). The Prison Project of Human Rights Watch was established in 1988 to monitor prison conditions around the world. Human Rights Watch/Asia was established in 1985 to promote internationally- recognized human rights in Asia. The executive director is Sidney Jones. The Chair is Jack Greenberg and the Vice Chair is Orville Schell. Human Rights Watch was founded in 1978 to monitor and promote internationally recognized human rights worldwide. The executive director is Kenneth Roth and the Chair is Robert L. Bernstein. Adrian DeWind is Vice Chair.