Friday, June 26, 2015

Gaijinass blogger describes life behind bars as a detainee in Japan


"Luxury hotel" breakfast


This blog post (below) may help explain why Julie has apparently changed positions over the past week. The day after her arrest, the Police PR first quoted her as saying "I did not think I was importing drugs" and "I will say nothing without a lawyer present." Now we  have heard her being quoted in the leaks every day this week. She's now talking. What a spokesperson. So succinct.

One observer noted that she is "confessing."

There have been reports that the police handed Julie over to the custody of the prosecutors. So it is not completely clear that the vicissitudes of life in police detention also apply to prosecutor detention. However, the government forces seem to be winning and Julie seems to be losing. That's the bottom line.

brutal-realities-regarding-arrest-in-japan/

Excerpts:

You have very few rights

"Everything that occurs from the moment you first meet the police to conviction in court is designed to ensure that the state wins and you lose. Your “rights” as they are conventionally accepted in the west simply are not a high priority.  A good example here is the lack of an attorney during the lengthy interrogation periods with police."
..."The meals are all Japanese and are of poor quality. The average daily caloric intake is around 1800 kcal or a bit higher if you have money in your account to order a proper lunch box on the days that is allowed. There are no such things as snacks or drinks at the police station detention centers however this changes once you are moved to the regional detention center, this transfer indicating you are absolutely being prosecuted.
Plan to lose weight, almost all foreigners do, up to 5 kilograms within the first week and 15 within 6 weeks.
Bathing is done once every 5 days as a group with your cell mates and it too is Japanese style. You are watched by an officer while bathing.
Visitors are allowed during the weekdays however if you plan to speak a language other than Japanese, an interpreter must be present at your expense. During all visitations except those of your lawyer or your embassy an officer will be present transcribing what is being said. At the police stations these visits are a maximum of 10 minutes and can be shorter if they are busy."