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
- JANUARY 8, 2002JapanDEATH PENALTY
Mamoru Takuma was urged by his lawyers to reveal why...
Mamoru Takuma was urged by his lawyers to reveal why he fatally stabbed eight primary students and wounded 15 others, including teachers, at Ikeda Primary School in Ikeda, Osaka Prefecture, in June 2001, on the second day of his trial, which began Dec
- JANUARY 1, 2002JapanDEATH PENALTY
The death penalty is provided for by the Criminal Procedure...
The death penalty is provided for by the Criminal Procedure Law and by the Penal Code for a number of offenses (13) but, in practice, it is applied only for murder
- JANUARY 1, 2002JapanDEATH PENALTY
It is estimated that there are about 50 death-row inmates...
It is estimated that there are about 50 death-row inmates in Japan
- JANUARY 1, 2002JapanDEATH PENALTY
Forty-three people have been executed since Japan resumed...
Forty-three people have been executed since Japan resumed capital punishment in 1993
- JANUARY 1, 2002JapanDEATH PENALTY
Prisoners are isolated in narrow solitary cells monitored...
Prisoners are isolated in narrow solitary cells monitored by TV cameras 24 hours a day
- JANUARY 1, 2002JapanDEATH PENALTY
Unique among the G8 countries, in Japan the pro-hanging...
Unique among the G8 countries, in Japan the pro-hanging lobby has the legal and political establishment solidly on its side
- JANUARY 1, 2002JapanDEATH PENALTY
The 2002 World Cup soccer finals that Japan and South...
The 2002 World Cup soccer finals that Japan and South Korea co-hosted led the two countries to sign an extradition pact requiring both nations to hand over suspects in crimes that carry over a one-year prison sentence or the death penalty, upon request of
- DECEMBER 28, 2001JapanDEATH PENALTY
Amnesty International Japan condemned the [December...
Amnesty International Japan condemned the [December 27] hangings and called on the country to halt all scheduled executions and abolish the death penalty
- DECEMBER 28, 2001JapanDEATH PENALTY
Justice Minister Mayumi Moriyama defended the government's...
Justice Minister Mayumi Moriyama defended the government's policy of not publicizing the names of death-row inmates who are executed and predicted Japan will maintain capital punishment
- DECEMBER 27, 2001JapanDEATH PENALTY
A former Japanese mental patient charged with stabbing...
A former Japanese mental patient charged with stabbing eight schoolchildren to death in June pleaded guilty, saying he wanted to pay for the brutal crime with his life
- DECEMBER 27, 2001JapanDEATH PENALTY
Japan hanged two male death row inmates, Japan's first...
Japan hanged two male death row inmates, Japan's first executions in 13 months and the first under the administration of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi
- DECEMBER 25, 2001JapanDEATH PENALTY
A right-wing activist will be sent to the gallows after...
A right-wing activist will be sent to the gallows after an appeal court overruled a life term handed down at a district court