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Crime Victims’ Protection Under the Free Speech Law in Japan

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Crime and Justice in Contemporary Japan

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Abstract

First, this paper argues that the amount of damage by defamation or privacy infringement in Japan is so small that the publisher might get an article published even in the face of potential litigation. In 1997, a 14-year-old junior high school student killed his friend, 11 years old. He cut his head and put it in the front gate of the junior high school. Before being arrested, he had sent several letters to newspapers to make his killing a display. He was convicted at the juvenile court. Article 61 of the Juvenile Act prohibits the minor defendant’s name from being published in a newspaper or magazine, but no civil or criminal sanction. There is also no sanction for publication of the victim’s name in the Juvenile Act. In Japan, the name of the victim is published, but not for minor defendants protected under the Juvenile Act. After getting out of the medical reformatory in 2007, he published his book in 2015 describing the history of this case and life after medical reform school. The father of the victim was strongly against the publication, but failed. There is no way to learn where the author lives now. There is no provision in the Juvenile Act that could transfer benefit of publication to the victim’s family. Some people argue that this provision doesn’t match well for Internet publication. New legislation might be needed for victims damaged by the publication of the book or article describing the crime.

Second, this paper reviews if recent cases are challenging the market of ideas. In another case in 2013, a 21-year-old truck driver killed his ex-girlfriend, 18 years old, after threatening the distribution of sexual pictures taken during the relationship. Just before being arrested, he uploaded her private pictures on websites. General free speech law remedy at court is damage, injunction, or publication of apology. In the Internet era, injunction might be more protective. Otherwise, another alternative doctrine might be needed.

Yuichiro Tsuji, Associate Professor of the Graduate School of Humanities and Social Science (legal major) at the University of Tsukuba; J.S.D University of California, Berkeley; LL.M. University of California, Berkeley; and Master of Law, Kyoto University. For a discussion on freedom of expression, Tsuji, Y. (2011). Jouhouka Shakai No Hyougen No Jiyu [The Freedom of Expression in the Information Oriented Society]. Nihon Hyoron Sha.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Simon & Schuster, Inc. v. Members of New York State Crime Victims Board, 502 U.S. 105 (1991).

  2. 2.

    Abrams v. United States, 250 U.S. 616 (1919).

  3. 3.

    Saiko Saibansho [Sup. Ct] June 25, 1969, Showa 41(a) no.2472, 23(7) Saiko Saibansho Keiji Hanreishu [Keishu] 975.

  4. 4.

    New York v. Sullivan, 376 U.S. 254 (1964).

  5. 5.

    Tokyo Chiho Saibansho [Tokyo Dist.Ct.] Sep. 28, 1964, Showa 36 (wa) no. 1882, 385 Hanrei Jihou 12.

  6. 6.

    Saiko Saibansho [Sup. Ct] Dec. 15, 1995, Heisei 2(a) no.848, 49(10) Saiko Saibansho Keiji Hanreishu [Keishu] 842.

  7. 7.

    Saiko Saibansho [Sup. Ct] Feb. 8, 1994, Heisei 1(o) no.1649, 48(2) Saiko Saibansho Minji Hanreishu [Minshu] 149.

  8. 8.

    Saiko Saibansho [Sup. Ct] Dec. 12, 1984, Showa 57 (gyo tsu) no.156, 38(12) Saiko Saibansho Minji Hanreishu [Minshu] 1308.

  9. 9.

    Saiko Saibansho [Sup. Ct] June 11, 1984, Showa 56(o) no.609, 40(4) Saiko Saibansho Minji Hanreishu [Minshu] 872.

  10. 10.

    Saiko Saibansho [Sup. Ct] Sep. 24, 2002, Heisei 13(o) no.851, 207 Saiko Saibansho Minji Hanreishu [Minshu] 243.

  11. 11.

    Saiko Saibansho [Sup. Ct] March 10, 2011, Heisei 17(a) no.2358, 303 Saiko Saibansho Keij Hanreishu [Keishu] 133.

  12. 12.

    Saiko Saibansho [Sup. Ct] March 14, 2003, Heisei 12(ju) no.1335, 57(3) Saiko Saibansho Minji Hanreishu [Minshu] 229.

  13. 13.

    Nagoya Koto Saibansho [Nagoya High. Ct], May 12, 2004, Heisei 15(ne) no.275, 1870 Hanrei Jihou 29.

  14. 14.

    Kobe Chihou Saibansho [Kobe Dist. Ct], March 11, 1999, Heisei 10(wa) no.1779, 1677 Hanrei Jihou 110.

  15. 15.

    Saiko Saibansho [Sup. Ct] July 8, 1983, Showa 56(a) no.1505, 37(6) Saiko Saibansho Keiji Hanreishu [Keishu] 609.

  16. 16.

    Abrams, supra note 2.

  17. 17.

    Hoppo Journal case, supra note 9.

  18. 18.

    Hoppo Journal case, supra note 9.

  19. 19.

    Tokyo Chiho Saibansho [Tokyo Dist.Ct.] March 27, 2001, Heisei 12 (wa) no. 5109, 1754 Hanrei Jihou 93. Tokyo Koto Saibansho [Tokyo High.Ct.] Oct. 30, 2003, Heisei 15 (ne) no. 2728, D-1 Law.com (No. 28091823).

  20. 20.

    Saiko Saibansho [Sup. Ct] April 16, 1981, Showa 55(a) no.273, 35(3) Saiko Saibansho Keiji Hanreishu [Keishu] 84.

  21. 21.

    Ishini oyogu sakana case, supra note 10.

  22. 22.

    Sapporo Zeikan case, supra note 8.

  23. 23.

    Hoppo Journal case, supra note 9.

  24. 24.

    Simon & Schuster, supra note 1, at 110.

  25. 25.

    Id. at 107.

  26. 26.

    Id. at 115.

  27. 27.

    Id. at 121.

  28. 28.

    Id.

  29. 29.

    Hiroshima Koto Saibansho [Hiroshima High. Ct], May 30, 2013, Heisei 24(ne) no.354, 2202 Hanrei Jihou 28.

  30. 30.

    Saiko Saibansho [Sup. Ct] Sep.25, 2014, Heisei 25(o) no.1765, D-1 Law.com (No. 28224039).

  31. 31.

    Paroline v. United States, 134 S.Ct.1710 (2014).

  32. 32.

    Saiko Saibansho [Sup. Ct] Jan 31, 2017, Heisei 28(kyo) no.45, 1669 Saibansho Jihou 1.

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    Authors and Affiliations

    1. Graduate School of Humanities and Social Science, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan

      Yuichiro Tsuji

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    1. Yuichiro Tsuji
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    Correspondence to Yuichiro Tsuji .

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    Editors and Affiliations

    1. Department of Social Sciences, University of Macau, Taipa, Macau, China

      Jianhong Liu

    2. Hastings College of the Law, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA

      Setsuo Miyazawa

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    Tsuji, Y. (2018). Crime Victims’ Protection Under the Free Speech Law in Japan. In: Liu, J., Miyazawa, S. (eds) Crime and Justice in Contemporary Japan. Springer Series on Asian Criminology and Criminal Justice Research. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-69359-0_14

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