VZCZCXRO2724
OO RUEHSL
DE RUEHKO #1758/01 2142356
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 022356Z AUG 09
FM AMEMBASSY TOKYO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 5069
INFO RUEHZJ/HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHGB/AMEMBASSY BAGHDAD PRIORITY 0382
RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL PRIORITY 0682
RUEHFK/AMCONSUL FUKUOKA PRIORITY 5631
RUEHNH/AMCONSUL NAHA PRIORITY 7961
RUEHOK/AMCONSUL OSAKA KOBE PRIORITY 9440
RUEHKSO/AMCONSUL SAPPORO PRIORITY 6149
RUEAWJA/JUSTICE DEPT WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA PRIORITY 3573
RUEHRN/USMISSION UN ROME PRIORITY
RHEHAAA/WHITE HOUSE WASHDC PRIORITY

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TOKYO 001758 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR DRL/MLGA KRISTEN MCGEEN 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/31/2019 
TAGS: PHUM UNDC JA
SUBJECT: JAPANESE IDEAS ON ENDING TORTURE: "JUST DON'T DO 
IT" 
 
REF: STATE 70129 
 
TOKYO 00001758  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
Classified By: Classified by CDA James P. Zumwalt per 1.4 (b/d) 
 
¶1. (C) In response to Reftel, Embassy Tokyo asked Japanese 
governmental and non-governmental organizations and 
academicians for examples of programs, policies, and 
initiatives, that are successful in countering torture and 
assisting victims in other countries around the world.  The 
main themes that emerged are: 1) the importance of the United 
States as a role model; 2) the importance of understanding 
the social and/or historical context in which torture tends 
to occur; 3) perceived weaknesses in the Japanese criminal 
justice system in terms of torture-prevention; and, 4) 
Japanese attempts to remedy these weaknesses which might 
serve as a model for other countries. 
 
THE UNITED STATES MUST BE A ROLE MODEL IN FIGHTING TORTURE 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
 
¶2. (C) Without exception, President Obama's commitment to end 
torture and work with both civil society organizations, and 
other countries to accomplish this goal, was cited by our 
interlocutors and was well-received by those working in this 
area in Japan.  As Sonoko Kawakami, Campaign Coordinator, 
Amnesty International Japan, put it "The U.S. government has 
a great opportunity to demonstrate best practices in ending 
torture."   As Tashi Dhundup, a visiting Human Rights and 
International Law academician from Brandeis University, said: 
"I'm tempted to quote George Carlin, 'Just don't do it 
(torture)!'  The United States can lead on this issue, but 
only by remembering that 'Charity begins at home.'" 
 
THERE IS A SOCIAL AND HISTORICAL CONTEXT UNDER WHICH TORTURE 
TENDS TO OCCUR 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
 
¶3. (C) Many -if not most- of the activists in Japan's growing 
civil society, have an ambivalent view, based on Japan's own 
WWII record, of the ability of governments to use "security" 
as an excuse to make torture serviceable, and even morally 
necessary tool. As Kanae Doi, Tokyo Director of Human Rights 
Watch explained: "There are few instances of torture in Japan 
now, not because of any particular safeguards, but because 
there are rarely any serious acts in Japan" that can be used 
as an excuse to justify torture.  She pointed out that 
Japanese penal law does set assaults committed by public 
employees (including police and prosecutors) as a more 
serious crime than regular assault.  "But," she added, "it is 
obvious that more torture existed in Japan during World War 
II under the 'Maintenance of Public Order' law, which was 
repealed thanks to occupying forces from the United States." 
 
PERCEIVED WEAKNESSES IN THE JAPANESE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM 
IN TERMS OF TORTURE-PREVENTION 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
 
¶4. (C) Japanese non-governmental organizations feel that 
Japan itself still has work to do in terms of its own 
torture-prevention practices.  In a written statement Yuichi 
Kaido, Kantaro Nagano, and Shiro Yanagi of the Japan 
Federation of Bar Associations (JFBA) stated, "The basic 
problems the JFBA reported to the UN Committee against 
Torture in April and May 2007 in regards to UN Convention 
Against Torture (CAS) implementation by the government of 
Japan were: Reform of the police detention system including 
systematic examination of interrogation rules such as 
videotaping and recording interrogation; end of capital 
punishment system; improvement in human rights of foreigners 
and children; and human rights education."  Commenting on 
these suggestions Makoto Teranaka, Secretary General of 
Amnesty International Japan, notes that although Japan is a 
signatory to the Convention Against Torture (CAT), "Japan has 
not met all of the recommendations made to it in 2007 for CAT 
compliance."  "In fact," he added, "the 'Daiyo Kangoku' 
pre-trial detention system still exists; there is only 
limited recording during interrogations; and the lengths of 
interrogations are not strictly regulated." 
 
 
TOKYO 00001758  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
JAPANESE ATTEMPTS TO REMEDY ITS WEAKNESSES THOUGH MIGHT SERVE 
AS A MODEL 
---------------------- 
 
¶5. (C) The Japanese government has undertaken reforms 
including the formation of independent inspection committees 
for penal institutions, as well as experimenting with 
video-taping interrogations.  As the JFBA made clear in its 
written statement: "We highly value Japan's introduction of 
independent inspection committees to detention facilities as 
a great step."  The Government of Japan believes these 
changes may be useful models for other countries.  According 
to Makoto Tanabe, Deputy Director, Human Rights and 
Humanitarian Affairs Division, MOFA: "We recommend two 
programs as examples of ways of countering torture.  The 
first is our Penal Institution Visiting Committee.  This 
consists of ten individuals of integrity and insight with a 
passionate interest in the administration of penal 
institutions.  The committee visits penal institutions, 
including police detention facilities, and also hold 
interviews with detainees.  The goal is transparency and an 
enhanced partnership between penal institutions and the 
community at large.  The National Police Agency has also 
started a widespread pilot program to videotape all 
interrogation proceedings." 
 
¶6. (C) The idea that the Japanese government is making 
progress was a view echoed and qualified by Nobuki Fujimoto, 
Asia-Pacific Human Rights Researcher, at HuRights Osaka, who 
said: "The Japanese Diet adopted a draft amendment of the 
Immigration Control Act on July 8 2009, which contains 
provisions for the non-refoulement of asylum seekers, in 
addition to creating Visiting Committees for Immigration 
Detention facilities, which currently aren't covered by them. 
 These are positive policies of our government aimed at 
ending torture.  But we must actually monitor the 
implementation.  Good laws exist, but transparency, and 
accountability have to apply to all of the dark corners." 
ZUMWALT