One Step Ahead toward Transparent Interrogation

 

The Prosecutor General of Public Prosecutors Office Japan, Naomi Unemoto, announced that the office would record its interrogation on criminal suspects for preserving transparency of the investigation, even if it is done at home. There appeared some cases in which public prosecutors made offensive interrogation on the suspects these recent years. It has been demanded for public prosecutors, who have great power to indict people, to reform their coercive investigation.

 

Transparency of interrogation has been a great concern for the public prosecutors offices since the prosecutors in Osaka Public Prosecutors Office fabricated the data of a suspect in 2012. In the case, the prosecutors made false data about the crime of an officer with Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. The Supreme Prosecutors Office indicted the prosecutors in Osaka office and the MHLW officer was found not guilty.

 

Although the prosecutors office introduced new system of recording voices and video during interview to suspects, traditional method of interrogation has not fundamentally been changed. The prosecutors ask questions to the suspect in an oppressive manner to draw confession in some cases.

 

In the case of fraud over solar power generation business in 2024, a prosecutor accused the president in an interview, saying that expressing hostility against public prosecutors would be anti-social activity. In an interview to the suspect who hurled explosive device to Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in 2023, the prosecutor insulted the suspect, calling him “poor person” with knowledge at the level of elementary students.

 

Excessive interrogation puts public prosecutors on an inferior position in court trials. The public prosecutors office has been in need of improving its investigation system. It is believed that recording voices and the scene of interview should be a way to transparency in the interrogation.

 

Prosecutor General Unemoto told the leaders of local public prosecutors offices that it was regretful for the public prosecutors to be criticized on their way of interrogation. While the public prosecutors are mandated to record the interview to suspects in specific kinds of cases, Unemoto proposed to record the interviews at home. She is supposed to be trying to show her willingness for reform of public prosecutors office.

 

Japan Federation of Bar Associations (JFBA) finds fundamental problem on the background of inappropriate interrogations. The JFBS issued in February a report on inappropriate interviews on local assembly members in Hiroshima, who were involved in bribe case of a lawmaker, indicating no effective effort made by the Supreme Prosecutors Office.

 

The report says that mental pressure on each prosecutors causes false investigation, especially in the cases with great attention from the public. The JFBS also demands to apply the mandate of recording to every investigation made in the closed space in public prosecutors offices.

 

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