Invitation to the study session: Japanese “Hostage Justice” system in the light of the Carlos Ghosn incident
Study Session Series (Session 3)
A plea for renewed attention to the rule of law at the Kyoto Congress
“It is said that no one truly knows a nation until one has been inside its jails. A nation should not be judged by how it treats its highest citizens, but its lowest ones.” -Nelson Mandela
The third installment in the study session series, “Japanese ‘Hostage Justice’ in the Light of the Carlos Ghosn Incident,” will take place on March 10, as detailed below. This session is of auspicious timing: 41 days before the convening in Kyoto of the 14th UN Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice. The United Nations holds the congress every five years, and each gathering attracts a huge turnout of senior justice and law-enforcement officials, working-level prosecutors, officials and project officers from multinational organizations, and representatives of nonprofit organizations. In 2015, some 5,000 participants from about 140 nations gathered in Doha for the 13th congress.
Hosting the 14th UN Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice is rightly an opportunity for Japanese to reappraise nagging questions about their justice system. Those questions include serious doubts about such practices as the extended detention of defendants before and during trials, repeated interrogation in the absence of detainees’ defense lawyers, and the evidentiary priority that judges can and frequently do allot to depositions obtained under duress. Most pressing of all is the question as to why more than 99% of Japanese indictments result in convictions.
Sadly, the program for the Kyoto Congress does not include any sessions for addressing the above questions about Japan’s justice system. Bolstering Japan’s international standing will depend heavily on demonstrating a commitment as a mature democracy to the rule of law. The study session on March 10 will sound a clarion call for recognizing and addressing the need to exhibit that commitment.
Time 4:00–6:00 p.m., Tuesday, March 10, 2020
Place
Large Conference Hall (Dai Kaigishitsu), House of Representatives First Members’ Office Building (Shugiin Daiichi Giin Kaikan)
Nagatacho 2–2–1, Chiyoda-ku
Language
Japanese and English (consecutive interpreting)
Seating
First-come basis. No charge and no reservations required. Doors open at 3:30
Greeting
Kazuhiro Haraguchi Member, House of Representatives; deputy leader,
Democratic Party for the People
Speakers
Nobuo Gohara Representative, Gohara Compliance and Law Office
Yuji Hosono Expert in detecting and preventing accounting fraud
Kanae Doi Japan representative, Human Rights Watch
Waku Miller Writer and translator
Coordinator
Tadashi Inuzuka Former member, House of Councillors; tadashi@inuzuka.com
