Saitama police apologize for arresting wrong man as robbery suspect

I'm surprised they let him off without beating a confession out of him. Kudos to him for withstanding almost the full 23 days.

I hope he gets compensated for his time in police custody and the police also apologize in person to his place of employment and to the media.

If the police already had dna samples from the attacker, what was the need to have the innocent guy under pressure for 20 days?

What a joke japanese police, for real!!!

I mean, there are more than just looking like the criminal to arrest and detain a person... that's the stupiest thing I ever read!

I recommend  the Jpolice to watch some american series just to know looking like is not enough.. Check the physical proof of his presence at the scene of the crime is the least they could do before detaining someone...

In May, a 22-year-old man already under arrest for breaking and entering into other apartments in Fukaya last year , admitted to robbing and assaulting the woman last September. 

It's nice to know that there are still some honest ppl out there.

Japanese Society still overestimate Surveillance Cameras and Police.

Japanese TV channels frequently broadcast TV programs that treat Police as "Hero of Justice",

and,have called Surveillance Cameras "Crime Prevention Camera".

I hope he gets compensated for his time in police custody and the police also apologize in person to his place of employment and to the media.

There are a number of ways an individual can claim compensation for false arrest and detention in Japan. Note: Police officers themselves are immune from prosecution for making an arrest and can arrest a person on suspicion . Once the prefectural Police offer an apology , the individual sues the prefectural government to whom he/she makes their tax returns to .

The reliance on confession rather than evidence, proof, the prosecutor rejecting cases that's aren't 100% slam dunks. Recently there was a story about a suspect on a continued detention loop because he won't confess, the police have no proof but can hold him apparently indefinitely, until he breaks or not. A few years ago laughter broke out at the UN when the Japanese delegate lorded Japan's justice system. It's a broken unjust system that has little professional attributes on every level. So it's not a "Suprise" they arrested and held a innocent man for 21 days or so. He was only freed when someone else admitted to the crime. The police investigation skills are woefully inadequate, they were going to hold him indefinitely had they not got a confession from the actual criminal.

Japanese police are a joke

If arrested in Japan, a person must appear before a judge within 48 hours.

From what I can see, these judges serve little useful purpose, only to rubber stamp what the police say, holding a person for 10 days. (A further 10 days applied for).

This I think is where rule of law in Japan is going wrong.

To hold a person without charge for 23 days would be utterly unacceptable in most advanced countries ( with the exception of terrorist offences).

That's correct Edu60, with the police apology it's only now that the innocent man can make his claim for false detention and make proceedings against the prefectural government

I wonder if the guy lost his job? A friend of a friend was detained for the maximum 23 days, unable to make a phone call, and was fired the second his Japanese employer found out he had been arrested.

He was in a car where a couple of passengers but not him were caught smoking weed.

Detention on suspicion works as follows:

Suspect is arrested. They must appear before a judge within 72 hours (three days).

The judge can (and pretty much always does) extend detention for 10 days, so the police can conduct their investigation.

The suspect then appears before a judge again, who again can extend detention for another 10 days.

After that, a judge can extend for an additional five days under exceptional circumstances, though this isn't standard.

What happens for major crimes like murder, is that the police will initially slap a minor charge on a suspect, and use the 23 days to gather evidence to support the charges they are intending to press. At the end of the 23 days, they (re-) arrest the suspect on new charges, which gives them a new 23 days, since these charges are not the same charges the suspect previously faced.

So while technically detention for suspicion is limited to 23 days, it actually can turn out to be much longer when the police chain together different charges.

ooooops

"We will do our best to prevent a reoccurrence through strict and thorough adherence to due process of law.”

Hahahahahahahaha! Yeah right! Hahahahahah!