Japan sees progress in decade of judicial reform, but lingering issues remain
Recording of interrogations became mandatory in 2019 for cases dealt with exclusively by prosecutors and those handled by the lay judge system.
In Japan's first plea deal, Tokyo High Court nixes suspended term given to ex-exec
The former executive of Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems Ltd. was instead ordered to pay ¥2.5 million for conspiring with subordinates to bribe a senior Thai official.
Two of Ghosn's former aides avoid indictment through plea bargain deal with Tokyo prosecutors
The foreign executives struck the rare deal between October and November by providing documents related to Nissan’s remuneration allegations, but they can be examined as witnesses, sources said.
A Tokyo court found two former executives of Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems guilty of bribing a senior Thai official over a power plant project after the company struck a plea bargain — the nation's first. The Tokyo District Court on Friday gave suspended sentences of ...
Prosecutors seek 18 months for ex-Mitsubishi Hitachi Power executives in landmark plea deal
Prosecutors said on Tuesday they are seeking a sentence of 18 months in prison for two former executives of Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems Inc. for allegedly bribing a Thai official over a power plant project, in a case that became well known for being ...
Victim of plea bargaining? Carlos Ghosn's arrest based on murky evidence, former prosecutor says
A prominent lawyer and plea deal expert said Monday that Nissan's ex-Chairman Carlos Ghosn, suspected of violating financial law, may have fallen victim to Japan's recently established plea bargaining system, leading to an arrest despite a lack of clear incriminating evidence. Ghosn, who was dismissed ...
Japanese-style plea bargaining debuts but authorities fear spread of false testimony
Japan on Friday introduced a bargaining system as part of an overhaul of its criminal investigation and trial systems, while battling concerns the new practice could encourage suspects or defendants to make false statements that lead to miscarriages of justice. The new bargaining system, which ...
The government is planning to introduce the right to plea bargain by putting into effect a revised law on criminal proceedings on June 1, government sources said Wednesday. While the system is expected to help tackle organized crime, lawyers and legal scholars have warned that ...
Major contractor eyes plea bargain system as route to evade criminal prosecution
Major Japanese construction company Obayashi Corp., which is at the heart of a scandal over collusion in bidding for a maglev train link project, has decided to take a rare and pre-emptive step: Come clean about its role, and possibly evade criminal prosecution. Ahead of ...
Critics hit Japan's new plea-bargaining system, say it opens door to false testimony
Katsumi Murase, a former senior official in the Nagoya Municipal Government, still remembers the time in 2003 when prosecutors interrogated him over a bid-rigging case in connection with a road cleaning contract. Murase, 69, was arrested and indicted for allegedly leaking crucial information used in ...
Diet passes legislation to revamp Japan's criminal justice system
New legislation increases video recording of interrogations, expands the reach of the wiretap law and introduces plea bargains.
Bills to reform the nation's criminal justice system may not accomplish the original goal of preventing false charges.
