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:
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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.