Abstract
AbstractThe Japanese Penal Code provides life imprisonment with or without work (Mukikei) as the second most severe punishment, with the death penalty being the most severe. Persons sentenced to life imprisonment in Japan may be paroled once they have served 10 years in prison and evince signs of reformation. However, the chance of parole is extremely slim. Fewer than 10 prisoners are released each year out of 1,800 serving life sentences. In the meantime, life imprisonment—especially life imprisonment without the possibility of parole (LWOP)—has often been discussed in the context of abolishing the death penalty. This chapter examines the existing sanction of life imprisonment and potential alternative sanctions to the death penalty from the standpoint of international and regional human rights standards. It concludes that the establishment of LWOP without reformation of the current life sentences, which offer very little possibility of parole, could bring about another form of despair in place of the death penalty.KeywordsJapanLife ImprisonmentPrisonHuman RightsDeath Penalty
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