Lawmakers in the Diet approved reform to the country's criminal justice system last month, mandating the recording of police interrogations in certain circumstances, revamping the existing wiretap law and introducing a plea bargain system for the first time.
While it's hard to imagine the reform will prevent the miscarriages of justice that spurred the legislation in the first place, it could play a role in helping to dismantle organized crime.
The National Police Agency's Academic Journal noted as far back as 2008 that Japan lacked the enforcement tools needed to deal with organized crime: wiretaps, legal undercover work and, of course, plea bargains.