Suspended sentence

A court's decision, when it passes a sentence, to hold off carrying it out. A person sentenced to imprisonment (拘禁刑) of three years or less or a fine (罰金) of 500,000 yen or less who has not been sentenced to imprisonment before, or not within five years of finishing such a sentence, may have the whole of it suspended for one to five years from the day the judgment becomes final (Penal Code, Article 25, paragraph (1)), and may be put under probation (保護観察) for that time (Article 25-2, paragraph (1)). A person whose earlier imprisonment was itself wholly suspended may have a new sentence of two years or less suspended again where there are especially extenuating circumstances, and is then put under probation (Article 25, paragraph (2); Article 25-2, paragraph (1)). If the period passes without the suspension being revoked, the sentence loses its effect (Article 27, paragraph (1)), unless a prosecution is pending for a crime committed in the period, in which case it stays in effect and can still be revoked (paragraphs (2), (4) and (5)); it must or may be revoked if, for example, the person commits another crime in the period and is sentenced to imprisonment without suspension (Articles 26 and 26-2). A sentence of imprisonment of three years or less may also be suspended in part, the rest being served first (Article 27-2).