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
- AUGUST 7, 2002JapanDEATH PENALTY
Olivier Dupuis, MEP (Lista Bonino) asked the European...
Olivier Dupuis, MEP (Lista Bonino) asked the European Commission on if it had been informed of the "serious risks" of Mori Katsuhisa being executed in the very near future
- JULY 31, 2002JapanDEATH PENALTY
A group of Japanese lawmakers asked Justice Minister...
A group of Japanese lawmakers asked Justice Minister Mayumi Moriyama to clear the way for abolishing the death penalty
- JULY 22, 2002JapanDEATH PENALTY
The Supreme Court has dismissed prosecution of a 63-year-old...
The Supreme Court has dismissed prosecution of a 63-year-old man convicted of murdering two people and committing robberies in 1994 and 1995 because he died July 2, court officials
- JULY 4, 2002JapanDEATH PENALTY
An appeal court upheld a lower court ruling that sentenced...
An appeal court upheld a lower court ruling that sentenced a jobless man to death for murdering a couple, stealing more than 8 million yen worth of their valuables and setting fire to the victims' home in Tochigi Prefecture
- JUNE 26, 2002JapanDEATH PENALTY
Tomomitsu Niimi, the main henchman in Aum Shinrikyo's...
Tomomitsu Niimi, the main henchman in Aum Shinrikyo's killing spree during the mid-1990s, was sentenced to death for the murders of 26 individuals
- JUNE 21, 2002JapanDEATH PENALTY
In Japan, prison inmates will be given a rare privilege...
In Japan, prison inmates will be given a rare privilege to watch the World Cup [soccer - from May 31 to June 30] matches on television
- JUNE 13, 2002JapanDEATH PENALTY
The European Parliament approved a resolution calling...
The European Parliament approved a resolution calling on the parliaments of Japan, South Korea and Taiwan to intensify their efforts for a rapid abolition of the death penalty and for the introduction of a moratorium on executions
- JUNE 11, 2002JapanDEATH PENALTY
Japan's Supreme Court upheld death sentences for two...
Japan's Supreme Court upheld death sentences for two Chinese men found guilty of a 1992 triple murder and robbery at a pachinko parlor in Tama, western Tokyo
- JUNE 6, 2002JapanDEATH PENALTY
A bilateral treaty on extradition of suspects and criminal...
A bilateral treaty on extradition of suspects and criminal defendants between Japan and South Korea will take effect June 21 following an exchange of ratification documents by Tokyo and Seoul, the Foreign Ministry said
- JUNE 6, 2002JapanDEATH PENALTY
Shozo Nishiyama, 49, a man in Hiroshima convicted of...
Shozo Nishiyama, 49, a man in Hiroshima convicted of one count of robbery-murder and facing another, said through his lawyer that he wants a legal revision so he can donate his bone marrow and organs while he is in detention and after his death
- JUNE 5, 2002JapanDEATH PENALTY
Prosecutors at the Wakayama District Court demanded...
Prosecutors at the Wakayama District Court demanded the death penalty for Masumi Hayashi, accused of the July 1998 Wakayama curry poisoning that killed four people and sickened 63 others
- JUNE 3, 2002JapanDEATH PENALTY
A group of lawmakers seeking to abolish the death penalty...
A group of lawmakers seeking to abolish the death penalty started discussions on a new set of rules for imprisonment that would eliminate parole for prisoners serving life sentences