Japan
2026
- GOVERNMENT
- constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary government
- CONSTITUTION
- May 3, 1947
- LEGAL SYSTEM
- based on the German model with Anglo-American influences; review of legislative acts by the Supreme Court
- LEGISLATIVE SYSTEM
- bicameral, House of Councillors (Sangi-in) and House of Representatives (Shugi-in)
- JUDICIAL SYSTEM
- Supreme Court (president appointed by the King on the recommendation of the Government, others appointed by the Government)
RELIGIONS
majority of Buddhists and Shintoists; minorities of Catholics, Protestants, and Orthodox
From the country
MARCH 25, 2025JapanDEATH PENALTYJAPAN: EXONERATED PRISONER AWARDED $1.4M AFTER 46 YEARS SPENT ON DEATH ROW
A Japanese man wrongly convicted of murder who was the world’s longest-serving death row inmate has been awarded $1.4m in compensation, an official said on March 24, 2025.
- FEBRUARY 24, 2025JapanDEATH PENALTY
83.1% IN JAPAN SUPPORT DEATH PENALTY: GOV'T SURVEY
Japanese public support for the death penalty has exceeded 80% for the fifth consecutive time in a poll conducted by the Cabinet Office every five years, underscoring strong public backing for the system in the country.
- NOVEMBER 17, 2024JapanDEATH PENALTY
JAPAN RULES OUT ENDING DEATH PENALTY DESPITE PANEL'S CALL FOR REVIEW
The Japanese government on November 14, 2024 ruled out abolishing the death penalty, rejecting calls by domestic legal experts for a review amid international pressure to end executions.
- OCTOBER 2, 2024JapanDEATH PENALTY
ABOLISHING JAPAN'S DEATH PENALTY ‘INAPPROPRIATE’: JUSTICE MINISTER
Newly appointed Justice Minister Hideki Makihara said on October 2, 2024 that abolishing the death penalty in Japan, where there have been no executions in over two years, would be "inappropriate" as the public largely considers it "unavoidable for heinou
- SEPTEMBER 29, 2024JapanDEATH PENALTY
JAPAN ACQUITS LONGEST-SERVING DEATH ROW INMATE 56 YEARS AFTER MURDER CONVICTION
The world's longest-serving death row prisoner was acquitted by a Japanese court on September 26, 2024, more than half a century after his 1968 murder conviction.
- JULY 8, 2024JapanDEATH PENALTY
JAPAN: MAN SENTENCED TO DEATH OVER MURDER-ROBBERY
A 39-year-old man was sentenced to death on July 2, 2024 for murdering an elderly woman and her son and robbing them at her residence in Oita Prefecture, southwestern Japan, in 2020.
APRIL 17, 2024JapanDEATH PENALTYJAPAN: DEATH-ROW INMATES' LAWSUIT TARGETING SAME-DAY NOTIFICATIONS OF EXECUTIONS DISMISSED
The Osaka District Court on April 15, 2024 dismissed a lawsuit by death row inmates that claimed same-day notifications of executions violate the Constitution — the first ruling of its kind.
MARCH 13, 2024JapanDEATH PENALTYJAPAN: DEATH SENTENCE OVERTURNED FOR KUDOKAI GANG BOSS
A Japanese high court on March 12, 2024 overturned a lower court ruling sentencing the head of the Kudokai crime syndicate to death over four cases of attacks on ordinary citizens.
JANUARY 25, 2024JapanDEATH PENALTYJAPAN: MAN GETS DEATH SENTENCE FOR KILLING 36 IN ANIME STUDIO ARSON
A Japanese man was convicted and sentenced to death on January 25, 2024 for the arson and killing of 36 people at famed anime studio Kyoto Animation in 2019, public broadcaster NHK said.
- JANUARY 18, 2024JapanDEATH PENALTY
JAPAN: 21-YEAR-OLD MAN GIVEN DEATH PENALTY FOR 2021 MURDER, ARSON
A Japanese court sentenced a 21-year-old man to death on January 18, 2024 for the 2021 murder of two and arson, in the first case of capital punishment being given to an offender who was a minor at the time of the crime but whose name has been revealed un
- DECEMBER 30, 2023JapanDEATH PENALTY
NO EXECUTIONS IN JAPAN IN 2023; LAST ONE WAS FOR AKIHABARA KILLER
Japan carried out no executions in 2023 for the first time in three years.
DECEMBER 11, 2023JapanDEATH PENALTYJAPAN: EX-COP'S APPEAL OVER MURDER OF FAMILY DISMISSED, DEATH PENALTY UPHELD
Japan's top court on December 8, 2023 dismissed an appeal by the defense of a former policeman who was given the death sentence for the murders of his wife and two children in 2017, exhausting his legal options.