Protecting the Equilibrium of Japan’s Criminal Justice : How Carlos Ghosn’s Case Failed to Highlight a Fundamental Aspect of the Japanese Pre-Trial Detention System

Croydon, Silvia

doi:https://doi.org/10.18910/79079

Protecting the Equilibrium of Japan’s Criminal Justice : How Carlos Ghosn’s Case Failed to Highlight a Fundamental Aspect of the Japanese Pre-Trial Detention System

Croydon, Silvia

大阪大学大学院人間科学研究科紀要, 2021, 47, 265-282

Number of Access:403（2025-07-27 03:41 Counts）

Identifier to cite or link to this item: https://doi.org/10.18910/79079

Link to primary information

File	Format	Terms of use	Size	Views	Date.Available	Description	information
hs47_265	pdf	None	235 KB	280	2021.03.16

Item Information

Output File Export EndNote Basic Export Mendeley

Title	Protecting the Equilibrium of Japan’s Criminal Justice : How Carlos Ghosn’s Case Failed to Highlight a Fundamental Aspect of the Japanese Pre-Trial Detention System
Creator	NRID 1000000634643 1000000634643 researchmap permalink 7000009246 7000009246 Scopus Author ID 56060872300 56060872300 CreatorName Croydon, Silvia
Subject	Criminal justice
	Suspect
	Police
	Detention
	Investigation
	Japan
Abstract	This study was motivated by the recent debates on Japanese criminal justice that were prompted by the arrest and detention of the Nissan Corporation’s former executive Carlos Ghosn. Ghosn’s detention triggered a diplomatic row that has come to threaten established economic ties. The exchanges that are now taking place between Japanese and Western government representatives regarding Japan’s criminal justice system closely resemble those of the era of imposed extraterritoriality on Japan. On the one hand, the former celebrity executive’s foreign fans, and other commentators are condemning the Japanese justice system as disrespectful of basic human rights because it has deprived a man, who at this time must still be considered innocent, of liberty for months. On the other hand, the Japanese are defending their justice system by arguing that it has followed a different trajectory than that of its European counterparts, and just because it diverges in certain respects from their system, does not mean it is inferior. What remains out of focus in these discussions, however, is that, unlike in the high-profile case of Ghosn, who was detained to a facility neutral of the investigation process (the Ministry of Justice’s Tokyo Detention Center) just as the criminal procedure dictates, average criminal suspects in Japan are often detained in police station cells pre-indictment. This study attempts to shift the focus of the discussion away from the aberrant case of Ghosn and onto the reality of Japan’s average criminal suspect.
Publisher	大阪大学大学院人間科学研究科
	オオサカダイガクダイガクインニンゲンカガクケンキュウカ
	Graduate School of Human Sciences, Osaka University
Source Title	大阪大学大学院人間科学研究科紀要
Volume (Issue)	47
Page	265-282
Date of Issued	2021-03-08
Language	English
Handle URL	https://hdl.handle.net/11094/79079
DOI	https://doi.org/10.18910/79079
PISSN	13458574
NCID	AA11452371
Access Rights	open access
oaire:version	Version of Record
Category	紀要論文 Departmental Bulletin Paper
Category	Bulletin of Graduate School of Human Sciences Osaka University / Vol.47

Resource Type	departmental bulletin paper
Local Type	Departmental Bulletin Paper
DCMI Type	Text
DCTERMS.bibliographicCitation	大阪大学大学院人間科学研究科紀要. 2021, 47, p. 265-282
DC.title	Protecting the Equilibrium of Japan’s Criminal Justice : How Carlos Ghosn’s Case Failed to Highlight a Fundamental Aspect of the Japanese Pre-Trial Detention System
DC.creator	Croydon, Silvia
DC.publisher	大阪大学大学院人間科学研究科
	オオサカダイガクダイガクインニンゲンカガクケンキュウカ
	Graduate School of Human Sciences, Osaka University
DC.language' scheme='DCTERMS.RFC1766	English
DC.type' scheme='DCTERMS.DCMIType	Text
DCTERMS.issued' scheme='DCTERMS.W3CDTF	2021-03-08
DC.subject	Criminal justice
	Suspect
	Police
	Detention
	Investigation
	Japan
DCTERMS.abstract	This study was motivated by the recent debates on Japanese criminal justice that were prompted by the arrest and detention of the Nissan Corporation’s former executive Carlos Ghosn. Ghosn’s detention triggered a diplomatic row that has come to threaten established economic ties. The exchanges that are now taking place between Japanese and Western government representatives regarding Japan’s criminal justice system closely resemble those of the era of imposed extraterritoriality on Japan. On the one hand, the former celebrity executive’s foreign fans, and other commentators are condemning the Japanese justice system as disrespectful of basic human rights because it has deprived a man, who at this time must still be considered innocent, of liberty for months. On the other hand, the Japanese are defending their justice system by arguing that it has followed a different trajectory than that of its European counterparts, and just because it diverges in certain respects from their system, does not mean it is inferior. What remains out of focus in these discussions, however, is that, unlike in the high-profile case of Ghosn, who was detained to a facility neutral of the investigation process (the Ministry of Justice’s Tokyo Detention Center) just as the criminal procedure dictates, average criminal suspects in Japan are often detained in police station cells pre-indictment. This study attempts to shift the focus of the discussion away from the aberrant case of Ghosn and onto the reality of Japan’s average criminal suspect.
DC.identifier	10.18910/79079
DC.format	79079
citation_title	Protecting the Equilibrium of Japan’s Criminal Justice : How Carlos Ghosn’s Case Failed to Highlight a Fundamental Aspect of the Japanese Pre-Trial Detention System
citation_author	Croydon, Silvia
citation_publisher	大阪大学大学院人間科学研究科
citation_language	English
citation_date	2021-03-08
citation_journal_title	大阪大学大学院人間科学研究科紀要
citation_volume	47
citation_firstpage	265
citation_lastpage	282
citation_public_url	https://hdl.handle.net/11094/79079
citation_doi_detail	10.18910/79079
citation_doi	https://doi.org/10.18910/79079

Protecting the Equilibrium of Japan’s Criminal Justice : How Carlos Ghosn’s Case Failed to Highlight a Fundamental Aspect of the Japanese Pre-Trial Detention System

Link to primary information

Item Information

Show details