The Osaka Detention House in Osaka s Miyakojima Ward in 2018 (Asahi Shimbun file photo)
OSAKA The Osaka Bar Association is financially rewarding lawyers for fighting Japan’s infamous “hostage justice” practice, in which bail is typically granted only to suspects who admit to the allegations.
Under the unusual system set up in April, the association is paying up to 40,000 yen ($365) to attorneys who file a quasi-appeal against a court’s detention order.
“If more quasi-appeals are submitted, the courts may more frequently reject prosecutors’ requests (to keep suspects in custody),” said lawyer Nobukata Shimizu, head of the Osaka Bar Association’s Criminal Defense Committee. “We want to raise lawyers’ awareness so that suspects will not be detained unnecessarily.”
West Japan prefecture assembly member posts address of same-sex couple on blog
April 5, 2021 (Mainichi Japan)
A photo capture of the envelope in which the open letter to Takatora Kobayashi was enclosed. The image has been altered where the return address of Katsunori Kano and Masahiro Shimada were written. TOKYO A same-sex couple in Mie Prefecture whose address was made public on a blog run by a prefectural assembly member has been asking that their address be taken down, but the politician has continued to refuse. For sexual minorities who are easily subject to discrimination, it is difficult to live a safe and peaceful life without the guarantee that their privacy will be protected.