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Behind Japan Files

The Letter of the Law File

Some things Japan has never made illegal. Others it punishes without explaining. Where the statute is silent, something else does the work.

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Part 1

A photograph looking down a long aisle between two facing banks of pachinko machines in an empty parlour. The machine panels glow in saturated reds, purples and blues, their chrome trays and handles catching the light, and the polished floor reflects the colour back. Every seat in the aisle is empty and a single small tray of steel balls sits abandoned on one shelf. The far end of the aisle falls away into haze. No people are present. AI-generated photo illustration; not a photograph of any real parlour.

Society

Why Is Pachinko Legal in Japan?

No statute exempts pachinko from Japanese gambling law. The act that licenses it calls the games speculative, caps the payouts, and never explains the cash, traced through Japanese primary sources.

Part 2

A photograph looking down a narrow back street in a Japanese entertainment district long after midnight. One woman in a plain dark coat stands alone against a tiled wall, seen entirely from behind with no face visible. Shuttered doorways, stacked plastic crates, an air-conditioning unit and a vending machine casting cold light line the alley, and unlit blank signboards project from the walls above. The wet asphalt holds puddles, a bicycle leans against the tiles, and coloured light from the main street glows out of focus at the far end. AI-generated photo illustration; not a photograph of any real street, business or person.

Society

Is Prostitution Legal in Japan?

Japanese law forbids prostitution in one sentence and attaches no penalty to it. What the statute defines, who it punishes, and the half of the law deleted in 2024, from Japanese primary sources.

Part 3

Part 4

A photograph of a small, windowless interview room with pale grey-green walls and a worn vinyl floor. A plain grey steel desk stands in the centre; on the far side two identical chairs are set side by side, and on the near side a single chair is angled away from the desk as if someone has just risen from it. A closed manila folder and a pen lie on the desk. High in the corner a small video camera on a bracket points down at the near chair. A single fluorescent panel lights the room. No people are present. AI-generated photo illustration; not a photograph of any real room or proceeding.

Justice & Law

Does Japan Have Plea Bargaining?

Japan built a plea agreement system in 2018. You cannot use it on your own guilt, it is barred for the gravest crimes, and the ministry says the number of deals must stay secret because it is small enough to identify them.

Part 5

Other files

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