Current Death Row Population = 112 (See the list) Executions 2021 = 0 Last Execution: Dec 26, 2019
WELCOME to the first edition of Japan Criminal Justice News. It has been my wish to publish a newsletter on this important topic. In this first issue, we will look at the case of Nigerian national "Julius (nickname)" who was framed for the robbery of a post office in 2001. I don't bandy with the word "framed"-- I use it specifically to indicate the wrongful arrest and conviction of an innocent when the real perpetrator is known to the police.
We also look at the recent spate of not guilty decisions in so called "shaken baby cases." My hat is off to the Japan Innocence Project and Kana Sasakura for a great job done. In 2014, a neurologist at the annual Innocence Network Conference called SBS a fictive crime lacking any kind of scientific evidence.
2020 was a year of no executions- the first since 1992! As I sit and write, it has been 13 months since Japan's last execution. Perhaps we might make it to the next Olympics without a hanging? The current minister of Justice- (Ms) Yoko Kamikawa has been the most prolific executioner in postwar history. Only time will tell.
Criminology, by necessity, is often an intense field of study. So, this newsletter, (and I hope future versions), includes a "Just for Laughs" section down below. Just scroll to the smiling fox🦊.
I welcome feedback about this first newsletter, and the JIADEP website.
Stay strong, be free!
Michael
Michael H. Fox JIADEP Director.
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Wrongful Conviction News JIADEP Special In-depth Report:
Nigerian resident Julius was framed for the robbery of a post office in 2006. He served 8 years in detention and is currently battling for a retrial, financial redress for prosecutorial malfeasance, and the right to stay with his family. I do not use the word "framed" lightly. "Framed" refers to those whom the authorities KNOW is innocent, but prosecute anyway. Why do this? ( More ).
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Shaken Baby Syndrome - A Specious and Wholly Fabricated Crime?
Over the last decade, the number of medical professionals who challenge SBS as a fabricated phenomena has grown fantastically. Japan has had several prosecutions. Congratulations to The Japan Innocence Project for battling against this specious crime and winning 2 cases in the courts!!JIADEP has prepared a comprehensive chart of these cases. Some of the cases have English reportage. ( More )
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JIADEP has recently compiled some new charts regarding wrongful convictions:
Verified Wrongful Convictions!
What is the best barometer for judging whether a conviction is wrongful? The Japan Federation of Bar Associations has a list of 12 cases which it has examined and verified. JIADEP has translated and annotated the list. ( View )
Statute of Limitations?
JIADEP has compiled a list of cases in which a suspect was arrested sometimes just several hours before the statute of limitations expired. Many of the cases are very disturbing. ( View )
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Japan's (The World's) Most Famous Death Row Inmates
Japan's first death penalty exoneree passed away at the age of 92. Menda spent 34 years behind bars, most to the time on death row. Arrested in 1949, exonerated in 1983, he became an outspoken social activist traveling the world.
Arrested in 1966, paroled in 201_, Hakamada is listed in the Guines Book of World Records-the world's longest surviving death row inmate. The Supreme Court has approved a retrial which will most likely lead to exoneration.
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Carlos Ghosn
No one has drawn more attention to the Japanese "hostage system" of criminal justice than the former CEO. (Rumor has it that he signed a deal with Netflix several days after fleeing.) A recent article succinctly discusses the charges, and how he might fare if tried in the USA. ( View ) Another recent publication, The Reality of the “Right to Counsel” in Japan and the Lawyers’ Campaign to Change It" deftly explains the acute problem of 'hostage justice.' ( Read )
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World Day Against the Death Penalty
This year, the World Day Against the Death Penalty is dedicated to the right to effective legal representation for individuals who may face a death sentence.
Is this an important matter in Japan? At first I did not think so,but according to the Center for Prisoner Rights, it is. (More)
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Even criminologists need a good laugh from time to time. Two recent incidents in particular are noteworthy. First, a case listed in our Statute of Limitations (SOL) chart regarding a theft of $500,000 from a used car dealer; second, the victory of a homeless man in a civil suit who was incarcerated for several months for theft of an abandoned bicycle!. ( ENJOY )
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GOOD READS
Note: the following publications are not really recent, but did not receive very much publicity. If you have not had a chance to peruse, please do.
Noted scholar and JIADEP advisor David T. Johnson has published a compendium of all his works on the death penalty. This is by far, the most comprehensive work on the topic. And It is free of charge. ( Download)
"Foreigners and Gangsters have no rights!"
Former prosecutor Hiroshi Ichikawa, who was fired for beating a confession out of a suspect, and is now an outspoken advocate for reform, published a book detailing his experiences. JIADEP director Michael H. Fox has translated the second chapter of the work whose title is listed above. ( More )
Debt collection is perhaps one of the least enamoring business fields, but one man who became enamored with collecting debts was American CPA Steven Gan. Gan began his own business and soon became successful. In Japan, only attorneys have the legal right to collect debts. The authorities turned a blind eye until one day…. ( More )
A SCHOLARLY TREAT
One of the worst wrongful convictions of the present century is that of T. Katsumata, defendant in the Imaichi case, charged with the murder of a year old girl. Arrested 8 years after the case, police coerced a confession to murder on videotape. The evidence is shockingly poor.. Noted scholars Setsuo Miyazawa (also a JIADEP advisor) and Mari Hirayama diagnose and expose the contradictions and problems inherent to videotaping confessions. ( More )
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You are receiving this newsletter because JIADEP director Michael Fox thinks YOU are an important person for the adjudication of justice in Japan and the entire world. If you feel you are not important in this regard, feel free to remove yourself from our list. I hope to send out newsletters 3-4 times a year. Comments and criticisms are most welcome. jiadep.org@gmail.com
