Japan
Capital city — Tokyo
Latest updates
-
-
The last collective movement happened in 2007 at Tokushima Prison, when some prisoners rioted because of ill treatment administered by a prison doctor.
The use of instruments of restraint is forbidden during labour and childbirth
no
Under the Penal Detention Act, inmates must be handcuffed whilst being escorted in and out of prison and at all times when outside the prison facility. There is no exception for giving birth in a hospital, although the wardens present can decide to un-cuff the prisoner.
-
In January 2015, a father filed a complaint after his wife, an inmate in Kasamatsu prison in Gifu Prefecture, was made to give birth with handcuffs on. A representative of the ministry’s correction bureau confirmed they decided to change the policy after hearing of the case at Kasamatsu prison.