Japanese Criminal Justice

Japan enjoys a crime rate drastically lower than any other industrialized nation. Her drug problem is insignificant next to that of the United States. Didrick Castberg's volume offers a comprehensive look at the much admired, often misunderstood, Japanese criminal justice system. He analyses the system's institutions and personnel and presents case studies of its processes. The comparison of Japanese and U.S. systems facilitates English-speaking readers in understanding the otherwise perplexing Japanese system. Castberg's conclusion: very little of the Japanese system is adaptable to the U.S. or any other country. Its success is rooted in Japanese culture and dependent on the Japanese psyche.

Without competition, this comparative volume provides the first overall view of the Japanese criminal justice system. Chapters cover law enforcement, legal education, prosecution, defense, the judiciary, and corrections. Japanese Criminal Justice is an essential addition to the personal libraries of criminal justice scholars as well as students of Japanese culture.