Changes by (Act No. 39 of 2025)
With regard to the following cases, when a public prosecutor requests the examination of a document that may be used as evidence pursuant to the provisions of Article 322, paragraph (1), has been prepared in conducting an interrogation pursuant to the provisions of Article 198, paragraph (1) (limited to the interrogation of the suspect under arrest or detention; the same applies in paragraph (3)) or giving an opportunity for explanation under the provisions of paragraph (1) of Article 203, 204 or 205 (including cases when these provisions are applied mutatis mutandis pursuant to the provisions of Articles 211 and 216; the same applies in paragraph (3)) with regard to that case and contains an admission of a fact disadvantageous to the defendant, and the defendant or the defense counsel raises an objection relating to the request for the examination on the grounds that the admission is suspected of not being made voluntarily, the public prosecutor must request the examination of the recording medium, on which statements made by the defendant during the period from the commencement of the interrogation or opportunity for explanation in which that document has been prepared to completion thereof and the circumstances are recorded pursuant to the provisions of paragraph (4), to prove that the admission is voluntarily made; provided, however, that this does not apply when there is no recording medium due to absence of recording under the same paragraph as the case falling under one of items of the same paragraph, or other unavoidable circumstances:
次に掲げる事件については、検察官は、第三百二十二条第一項の規定により証拠とすることができる書面であつて、当該事件についての第百九十八条第一項の規定による取調べ（逮捕又は勾留されている被疑者の取調べに限る。第三項において同じ。）又は第二百三条第一項、第二百四条第一項若しくは第二百五条第一項（第二百十一条及び第二百十六条においてこれらの規定を準用する場合を含む。第三項において同じ。）の弁解の機会に際して作成され、かつ、被告人に不利益な事実の承認を内容とするものの取調べを請求した場合において、被告人又は弁護人が、その取調べの請求に関し、その承認が任意にされたものでない疑いがあることを理由として異議を述べたときは、その承認が任意にされたものであることを証明するため、当該書面が作成された取調べ又は弁解の機会の開始から終了に至るまでの間における被告人の供述及びその状況を第四項の規定により記録した記録媒体の取調べを請求しなければならない。ただし、同項各号のいずれかに該当することにより同項の規定による記録が行われなかつたことその他やむを得ない事情によつて当該記録媒体が存在しないときは、この限りでない。
a case involving a crime punishable by the death penalty or imprisonment for life;
死刑又は無期拘禁刑に当たる罪に係る事件
a case involving a crime punishable by imprisonment whose minimum term is one year or more and causing death to the victim through an intentional criminal act; or
短期一年以上の拘禁刑に当たる罪であつて故意の犯罪行為により被害者を死亡させたものに係る事件
any case other than cases referred or sent by judicial police officers (excluding those set forth in the preceding two items).
司法警察員が送致し又は送付した事件以外の事件（前二号に掲げるものを除く。）
Changes by (Act No. 39 of 2025)
If a public prosecutor fails to request the examination of the recording medium provided in the preceding paragraph in violation of the provisions of the same paragraph, a court must render a ruling to dismiss the request for examination of the document provided in the same paragraph.
Changes by (Act No. 39 of 2025)
The provisions of the preceding two paragraphs apply mutatis mutandis when the defendant or the defense counsel raises an objection with regard to the case set forth in one of items of paragraph (1) against the use as evidence of the statement that has been made by any person other than the defendant, which may be used as evidence pursuant to the provisions of Article 322, paragraph (1) as applied mutatis mutandis pursuant to Article 324, paragraph (1), and contains any statement made by the defendant in the interrogation with regard to that case pursuant to the provisions of Article 198, paragraph (1) or in the opportunity for explanation under paragraph (1) of Article 203, 204 or 205 (limited to that containing an admission of a fact disadvantageous to the defendant), on the grounds that the admission is suspected of not being made voluntarily.
前二項の規定は、第一項各号に掲げる事件について、第三百二十四条第一項において準用する第三百二十二条第一項の規定により証拠とすることができる被告人以外の者の供述であつて、当該事件についての第百九十八条第一項の規定による取調べ又は第二百三条第一項、第二百四条第一項若しくは第二百五条第一項の弁解の機会に際してされた被告人の供述（被告人に不利益な事実の承認を内容とするものに限る。）をその内容とするものを証拠とすることに関し、被告人又は弁護人が、その承認が任意にされたものでない疑いがあることを理由として異議を述べた場合にこれを準用する。
Changes by (Act No. 39 of 2025)
When a public prosecutor or a public prosecutor's assistant officer interrogates a suspect under arrest or detention pursuant to the provisions of Article 198, paragraph (1) with regard to the case set forth in one of items of paragraph (1) (excluding cases set forth in item (iii) of the same paragraph for which a related case has been referred or sent and which are expected to be referred or sent by a judicial police officer in light of the actual investigation conducted by the judicial police officer and other circumstances), or gives the suspect an opportunity for explanation pursuant to the provisions of paragraph (1) of Article 204 or 205 (including cases when these provisions are applied mutatis mutandis pursuant to Articles 211 and 216), the public prosecutor or public prosecutor's assistant officer must record statements made by the suspect and the circumstances on a recording medium by a method of recording sound and images simultaneously, except in a case falling under one of the following items; the same applies when a judicial police official interrogates a suspect under arrest or detention pursuant to the provisions of Article 198, paragraph (1) or gives the suspect an opportunity for explanation pursuant to the provisions of Article 203, paragraph (1) (including cases when these provisions are applied mutatis mutandis pursuant to Articles 211 and 216) with regard to the case set forth in paragraph (1), item (i) or (ii):
検察官又は検察事務官は、第一項各号に掲げる事件（同項第三号に掲げる事件のうち、関連する事件が送致され又は送付されているものであつて、司法警察員が現に捜査していることその他の事情に照らして司法警察員が送致し又は送付することが見込まれるものを除く。）について、逮捕若しくは勾留されている被疑者を第百九十八条第一項の規定により取り調べるとき又は被疑者に対し第二百四条第一項若しくは第二百五条第一項（第二百十一条及び第二百十六条においてこれらの規定を準用する場合を含む。）の規定により弁解の機会を与えるときは、次の各号のいずれかに該当する場合を除き、被疑者の供述及びその状況を録音及び録画を同時に行う方法により記録媒体に記録しておかなければならない。司法警察職員が、第一項第一号又は第二号に掲げる事件について、逮捕若しくは勾留されている被疑者を第百九十八条第一項の規定により取り調べるとき又は被疑者に対し第二百三条第一項（第二百十一条及び第二百十六条において準用する場合を含む。）の規定により弁解の機会を与えるときも、同様とする。
when it is unable to record due to malfunction of the equipment necessary for recording or other unavoidable circumstances;
記録に必要な機器の故障その他のやむを得ない事情により、記録をすることができないとき。
when it is found that the suspect may not make a sufficient statement if it is recorded due to the suspect's refusal of recording and other behavior of the suspect;
被疑者が記録を拒んだことその他の被疑者の言動により、記録をしたならば被疑者が十分な供述をすることができないと認めるとき。
when it is found that the case is related to any crime committed by a member of an organized crime group designated by a Prefectural Public Safety Commission pursuant to the provisions of Article 3 of the Act on Prevention of Unjust Acts by Organized Crime Group Members (Act No. 77 of 1991); or
当該事件が暴力団員による不当な行為の防止等に関する法律（平成三年法律第七十七号）第三条の規定により都道府県公安委員会の指定を受けた暴力団の構成員による犯罪に係るものであると認めるとき。
in addition to those set forth in the preceding two items, in light of the nature of the crime, behavior of persons concerned, character of the group of which the suspect is a member and other circumstances, when it is found that the suspect may not make a sufficient statement if it is recorded due to the likelihood that the body or property of the suspect or the suspect's relative may be harmed or either of these persons may be threatened or confused should the statement made by the suspect and the circumstances be disclosed.
前二号に掲げるもののほか、犯罪の性質、関係者の言動、被疑者がその構成員である団体の性格その他の事情に照らし、被疑者の供述及びその状況が明らかにされた場合には被疑者若しくはその親族の身体若しくは財産に害を加え又はこれらの者を畏怖させ若しくは困惑させる行為がなされるおそれがあることにより、記録をしたならば被疑者が十分な供述をすることができないと認めるとき。
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judicial police officialmachine translation
「司法警察職員」
Judicial police officers (司法警察員) and judicial police constables (司法巡査) together.
Defined inArticle 39, paragraph (3)
imprisonment
拘禁刑
The punishment of being held in a penal institution (刑事施設), for life or for a fixed term of one month to twenty years (Penal Code, Article 12, paragraphs (1) and (2)); a fixed term can be raised to thirty years where the punishment is aggravated, or cut below one month where it is reduced (Article 14, paragraph (2)). To help the person reform and rehabilitate, they may be made to do work or given guidance (Article 12, paragraph (3)). It ranks below the death penalty and above a fine (罰金) among the principal punishments (Articles 9 and 10, paragraph (1)). It replaced imprisonment with work (懲役) and imprisonment without work (禁錮) when the Act Partially Amending the Penal Code, etc. (Act No. 67 of 2022) came into force (Act No. 67 of 2022, Article 2), and a person sentenced to either is treated, for the rules on a person's qualifications, as sentenced to imprisonment for the same term (Act No. 68 of 2022, Article 443, paragraph (1)).
Written by AI using Penal Code, Arts. 9, 10, 12, 14, Act No. 67 of 2022, Art. 2 and Act No. 68 of 2022, Art. 443 as a reference.
Prefectural Public Safety Commission
都道府県公安委員会
A commission the Police Act (警察法) places in each prefecture under the jurisdiction of its governor (都道府県知事) (Police Act, Article 38, paragraph (1)). It administers that prefecture's police (都道府県警察) (Article 38, paragraph (3)). It has five members in Tokyo (都), Hokkaido (道), Osaka and Kyoto (府) and in a prefecture that contains a city designated under the Local Autonomy Act (指定市), and three in any other prefecture (Article 38, paragraph (2)). The governor appoints the members, with the consent of the prefectural assembly, from people eligible to stand for that assembly who have not been career public officials doing police or prosecution work in the five years before their appointment; in Hokkaido, Osaka, Kyoto and a prefecture that contains a designated city (指定市), two of the members are people the mayor of that city recommends with the consent of the city assembly (Article 39, paragraph (1)). Under the Secondhand Goods Business Act, a person who intends to run a business buying, selling or exchanging secondhand goods — other than one that only sells them, or only buys back what it sold from the person it sold to — or to run a secondhand goods market must first obtain its permit; that Act calls it the Public Safety Commission (公安委員会) (Secondhand Goods Business Act, Article 2, paragraph (2), items (i) and (ii), and Article 3, paragraph (1)).
Written by AI using Police Act, Arts. 38, 39 and Secondhand Goods Business Act, Arts. 2, 3 as a reference.
public prosecutor
検察官
The official who brings a prosecution (公訴) for a crime before a court (Code of Criminal Procedure, Article 247), and who may decide not to prosecute where, in view of the offender's character, age and circumstances, the gravity and circumstances of the offence and what happened after it, prosecution is not needed (Article 248). In criminal cases a public prosecutor asks the court to apply the law correctly and oversees the carrying out of its judgments; and, as the representative of the public interest, a public prosecutor also does the work other laws and regulations assign to a public prosecutor, which is not limited to criminal cases (Public Prosecutors Office Act, Article 4). A public prosecutor may investigate any crime (Article 6, paragraph (1)). Public prosecutors work through the public prosecutors offices (検察庁): the Supreme, High, District and Local Public Prosecutors Offices (Article 1).
Written by AI using Code of Criminal Procedure, Arts. 247, 248 and Public Prosecutors Office Act, Arts. 1, 4, 6 as a reference.