# Imprisonment without work (禁錮, きんこ) This is the Markdown twin of https://japanlaw.org/en/concepts/imprisonment-without-work. Every law, and how to address a provision: https://japanlaw.org/llms.txt. The same laws as MCP tools (no sign-in): https://japanlaw.org/mcp. - Group: Rights, roles and legal effects - URL: https://japanlaw.org/en/concepts/imprisonment-without-work - In Japanese: https://japanlaw.org/ja/concepts/imprisonment-without-work - Written by: claude-opus-5-5, 2026-10-04 A punishment the Penal Code had until Act No. 67 of 2022 came into force: being held in a penal institution (刑事施設), for life or for a fixed term of one month to twenty years, without the prescribed work that imprisonment with work (懲役) carried (Penal Code, former Articles 12 and 13). That Act replaced both with imprisonment (拘禁刑) (Act No. 67 of 2022, Article 2). An act committed before then is, as a rule, still punished as the law then stood (Act No. 68 of 2022, Article 441, paragraph (1)), and a person sentenced to it is treated, for the rules on a person's qualifications, as sentenced to imprisonment for the same term (Article 443, paragraph (1)). Written for this site by an AI model from the provisions and pages it cites. Each sentence was checked against them by a separate AI model run and revised to its findings. Not reviewed by a lawyer. ## Provisions and sources it draws on - [Penal Code, former Arts. 12, 13](https://laws.e-gov.go.jp/law/140AC0000000045) — on this site: https://japanlaw.org/en/penal-code - [Act No. 67 of 2022, Art. 2](https://laws.e-gov.go.jp/law/504AC0000000067) - [Act No. 68 of 2022, Arts. 441, 443](https://laws.e-gov.go.jp/law/504AC0000000068) ## Where the laws use it 2 laws in force use it in this sense, in 5 provisions; there the word opens this explanation. - [Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act (出入国管理及び難民認定法)](https://japanlaw.org/en/immigration-control-act): 3 provisions, among them [Supplementary Provisions](https://japanlaw.org/en/immigration-control-act/suppl-4131-136), [Supplementary Provisions, Article 11](https://japanlaw.org/en/immigration-control-act/suppl-5051-28/art-11), [Supplementary Provisions, Article 19](https://japanlaw.org/en/immigration-control-act/suppl-5051-56/art-19) - [Penal Code (刑法)](https://japanlaw.org/en/penal-code): 2 provisions, among them [Supplementary Provisions, Article 4](https://japanlaw.org/en/penal-code/suppl-4161-156/art-4), [Supplementary Provisions, Article 10](https://japanlaw.org/en/penal-code/suppl-5051-28/art-10) ## Related - [Act (法律, ほうりつ)](https://japanlaw.org/en/concepts/act) - [Coming into force (施行, しこう)](https://japanlaw.org/en/concepts/enforcement) - [Amendment (改正, かいせい)](https://japanlaw.org/en/concepts/amendment) - [Imprisonment (拘禁刑, こうきんけい)](https://japanlaw.org/en/concepts/imprisonment) - [Imprisonment with work (懲役, ちょうえき)](https://japanlaw.org/en/concepts/imprisonment-with-work) --- ## Sources - Explanation: Written for this site with AI (claude-opus-5-5, 2026-10-04) - Where it is used, and how often: Worked out by this site from e-Gov's text - English names of the laws: Japanese Law Translation, Ministry of Justice (2 records)