True Crime Japan: Thieves, Rascals, Killers and Dope Heads: True Stories from a Japanese Courtroom

by Paul Murphy

A middle-aged carpenter beats his 91-year old mother to death and goes to work the following day, leaving the body for his wife to find. An 82-year old woman is jailed for 10 months for stealing fried chicken. Like nearly all defendants in Japan, they both plead guilty.

What happens between plea and sentencing is the subject of True Crime Japan. In this fascinating crime book journalist and longtime Japan resident Paul Murphy provides a glimpse of Japanese society through a year's worth of criminal court cases in Matsumoto, a city 140 miles to the west of Tokyo. The defendants in these cases range from ruthless mobsters to average citizens, often committing similar crimes in rather different ways, and for different reasons. Based on court hearings and interviews with the defendants, their families, neighbors and lawyers—Murphy explores not only the motives of offenders but the culture of crime and punishment in Japan.

The resulting true crime book provides a lens through which to view this honor-shame based, conformist culture, and shows how, in its role within that culture, the court system reveals Japan to be, surprisingly to some, a land of true individuals.

Genres: Nonfiction, True Crime, Japan, Crime, Asia, Japanese Literature, Law

256 pages, Paperback

First published August 2, 2016

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

Paul Murphy is an award-winning journalist who has worked for a variety of print and broadcast media for over two decades in Japan and Ireland. He is currently a television reporter for RTE's Investigations Unit in Dublin and has previously worked as a writer and copy editor for the Mainichi Daily News, as a business reporter with the International Herald Tribune/Asahi Shimbun in Tokyo and freelanced for a variety of publications including the Irish Times and Irish Independent dailies. His first book, True Crime Japan, is based on over a year spent in the courtrooms of Matsumoto City in Nagano Prefecture where he followed cases ranging from an octogenarian convicted for stealing food from a supermarket; to a middle-aged man who beat his 91-year-old mother to death; to a former yakuza (gangster) jailed for pimping teenage girls. The book relies not just on information yielded from typically lengthy (and usually revealing) courtroom cross examinations but also interviews with neighbours and families of defendants as well as lawyers and police and others connected. All are interwoven with insight from Murphy's own experience of a decade living and working in Japan. The result is a book of stories about people that is as much about Japanese society as about Japanese crime. So why is all of this of interest? Firstly, Japan is a fascinating country and this book reveals much about its people, using the courtroom as a lens to view the society. Secondly, its justice system is equally fascinating as it blends a prosecutorial style which can be surprisingly forgiving — especially for non-drug crimes — with an unyieldingly harsh prison system. Thirdly, we should pay attention to Japan because, objectively, the justice system works much better there than in most, arguably all, other rich countries. Crime is very low even by the standards of East Asia and imprisonment rates are far beneath other major economies and a fraction of the US, which in 2012 jailed, proportionate to population, 13 times more of its people than Japan. Japan can not only enthral us, but it can also teach us.

Reviews

[Petra X · Rating 5 out of 5]

First 10* book of the year, read in January, reviewed in December. Sometimes it takes a while for me to know what I want to say. Japan's judicial and incarceration systems are both vastly different from the West, the first much softer and the second much harder. To sum up a book that went into great detail about the court system - if your case comes to court you might as well plead guilty because almost everyone is found guilty. Since you are going to be found guilty you will want to minimise your sentence as much as possible, therefore show an immense amount of contrition. Be overtly remorseful, try (previously) to make it up to your victim to whom you shouldn't have committed a crime against in the first place. Write letters, abase yourself in front of the court. If you don't you will likely get yourself a hard sentence. Commit a second or third offence, you're going away with hard labour for a long time.

This obviously works, at least looking at statistics. The US rate of recidivism is 77% and for Japan, 40% so it is possible their system works.

The rest of the book is full of cases and about major crime gangs, Yakuza in particular, all very interesting and worth reading because Japan is such a differently-organised society and culture from the West but on the surface, because of our attachment to technology and business, we are more similar than we are different.

[Patrick Sherriff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Don't be fooled by the salacious subtitle. This excellent book is less the tale of thieves, rascals and dope heads, and much more what makes Japan tick. Murphy succeeds in turning ostensibly bizarre cases found in a Nagano Prefecture district court into an exploration of what constituters morality to the Japanese. And what he finds, spoiler alert, is a surprisingly forgiving country if the defendant is prepared to show remorse and acceptance of the supremacy of the greater good. But woe betide any who don't exhibit the contrition and subservience expected. And if it's your second or third offence, prepare yourself for years of punitive work, solitary confinement and military discipline in some of the most unforgiving prisons in the world. In short, Murphy uses the cases of the unfortunate to show what makes Japan a fortunate place to live for the law-abiding. If you've got any interest in Japan, journalism or criminal justice, you'll get something of value from this book.

The author was kind enough to give in-depth answers to a few questions I had abut the book, here on my blog: https://patricksherriff.com/2017/06/3...

[Elyse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just like in America, Japan has their fair share of murderers, sexual perverts, thieves and gangsters. How the West treats their criminals is vastly different though. After World War II the Japanese were told by the Allies to come up with a democratic constitution and system of government. They did but with a Confucian spin that is reflected in their judicial system. It is very rare for a defendant to enter anything but a guilty plea. And it is very rare that a judge rules anyone innocent. With the proper attitude of contriteness (VERY important) the criminal usually gets a very light sentence. They sure don't want to go to prison. This book consists mainly of courtroom anecdotes and how cases were handled within this framework.

Japan has very few prisons compared to the USA. These prisons are harsh, and the Japanese government wants to keep it that way. They don't want to spend tax dollars on prisons and so keep them cruel as a deterrent. I'm sure each reader will get something different out of this book. I think some of the Japanese methods could be emulated by the West - and then again, some of them might not work with the Western mindset.

[Петър Стойков · Rating 4 out of 5]

Да, Япония наистина е РАЗЛИЧНА и това никъде не става по-ясно отколкото в нейната съдебна система.

Система, в която 99.8% от повдигнатите обвинения стигат до осъдителна присъда, в която повечето подсъдими се кланят и извиняват на съдията, роднините си и случайните граждани в съдебната зала, където присъдата зависи повече от социалното и обществено поведение на обвиняемия, отколкото от тежестта на престъплението и където организираната престъпност има официални офиси и плаща данъци.

[Vanya Prodanova · Rating 4 out of 5]

Макар книгата да е на почти десет години, всъщност е много приятно, интересно и любопитно четиво. Авторът е следил съдебните дела в Matsumoto Criminal Court в рамките на една година и тази книга е резултатът.

Книгата е много добре построена. Групирал е случаите според вида престъпление и какво от случилото се в съдебната зала може да се изведе като идея за японското общество като цяло. Отделно от това, научаваш много интересни неща за съдебната система в Япония. Гугълнах някои от тях, за да видя дали още се така и да.. все така актуална информация е. Опитва се да покаже позитивите и негативите на японската съдебна система и мисля, че добре се справи.

Чете се като slice of life аниме и те релаксира, което е много странно, визирайки, че все пак става дума за престъпления. Дойде ми късичка, де. Можех още да чета ако имаше повече. :)

[Crime Traveller · Rating 5 out of 5]

A revealing and fascinating look inside Japanese courtrooms, True Crime Japan tells the stories of what happens in between pleas and sentencing in Japan. Author Paul Murphy, a journalist and longtime resident of Japan has captured these tales in detail, showcasing the different approaches, customs and morals amongst the Japanese population when it comes to crime and punishment.

I loved this book. The author approaches each case in a free-flowing, relaxed style providing a great read with chapters covering elderly crime, gangsters, 'mama's boys', confessions and 'mother killers'. Paul Murphy’s understanding of these processes shines through in his writing. He does not over complicate or throw statistics in to impress. He weaves such information effortlessly within the narrative resulting in welcome additions to case studies. Cases are presented respectfully but with a dash of humour. This is not a true crime book that could be described as grim despite some of the terrible crimes covered.

Integrated very successfully within case studies is the cultural information which grounds these cases within Japanese society providing a learning curve on the clear differences and the potential lessons we could learn compared to our more familar Western culture. Overall this is an exciting, intriguing and fascinating read which I would highly recommend. It is a real treat for any true crime fan, especially those looking to expand their knowledge and understanding of crime, justice and punishment within Japanese culture.

You can read my full review and an excerpt of True Crime Japan on Crime Traveller: http://www.crimetraveller.org/2016/07...

[Yukio Nagato · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book to read if you want good insight into almost every aspect of Japanese society. Murphy uses different court cases to expand and go into detail about the background of each defendant. This gives us a telescope in which to look at the cultural, judicial, economical, social, religious, philosophical, and familial dynamics of Japan. Many of those on trial are quite interesting and it's sometimes fascinating to see how they got to where they are. "True Crime Japan" really helps the reader understand how the judicial system here works. I admit I didn't know many of the facts or how they meted out sentences here until I read this book. It's a fascinating read for anyone interested in Japan and I highly recommend it. You may find it hard to put down.

[Sibil · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[♥ Marlene♥ · Rating 4 out of 5]

After having red many horror anthologies I decided to give another kind of horror aka true crime a try.

This was a very interesting read about the difference of our court system and the Japanese. In Japan it is more important to tell the judge how sorry you are but not just the perpetrator must say how sorry they are but preferably also your mum, dad siblings,grandparents, friends or your dog.

Lol It is such a different world which makes for a fun read.

[William · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Criminal court cases in Japan begin with the fairly predictable—the defendant pleads guilty—and end with the utterly predictable—the defendant is found guilty. What happens in between is the interesting bit." (Introduction, p.8)

Paul Murphy, an Irish reporter, has written a really fascinating look at aspects of Japanese society through the medium of criminal court trials ranging from shoplifting to murder. And despite the language of the introduction, what comes before the trial is also fascinating, since the defendant has usually confessed, written formal apologies, and paid restitution. The expression of remorse is a constant among almost all defendants. The final chapter looks at whether or not European countries or the U.S. could imitate aspects of the Japanese legal system or if Japanese society overall is just too different for practices from there to be simply exported.

If you're at all familiar with the operation of the American justice system, many things will stand out. One thing that struck me was how often suspended sentences were given, even for truly serious offenses if the defendant was a first-time offender, compared to what I would expect in the United States. Murphy attributes these many breaks (warnings, fines, suspended sentences) to the Confucian belief that people are capable of reform. And the constant expressions of remorse by defendants are part of a public ritual demonstrating the defendant's shame over. Yet the flip side of this is the severity of prison once one has been sent there for whatever offense. Instead of the wide variety of imprisonment categories in the US for different offenders and different degrees of crime, the Japanese prison appears as a one-size-fits-all institution most akin to an American maximum-security prison.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

The court scene is so bizarrely different in Japan compared to America that your first reading about it will boggle you. The personal details in these accounts would never come out in the US and they are a fascinating window into some aspects of Japan that are outside of the usual cherry blossom story. While I've read about it before, this is the first time I've read detailed reports on how the lay judges work. I've served on many juries and I'm jealous that my Japanese counterparts can ask questions! Also covered to some extent is police interrogation and prison life. While it's hard to to verify the reality of it, the Japanese do seem to be intent on reforming criminals if possible and this maybe one factor behind Japan's low crime rate. Another is decent basic education for everyone and the absence of ghettos, there are many forces in the US that are anti-education, especially for minorities, public schools I went to in the 60's had libraries and nurses, in the 90's those same schools forced pupils to share textbooks because of budget cuts and the nurses and extra books were long gone. Japan as a country has issues, this book covers some, but it certainly is thought provoking.

I did find it amusing that Murphy, an Irishman, found the Japanese welfare system a bit cruel and bureaucratic, don't move to the US, you will have nightmares worthy of Kafka!

[Aki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved this until the last chapter which I thought had some bad takes.

It’s a lot harder to improve impoverished areas in a country that’s looking to decriminalize non violent drug offenses.

Suspended/lighter sentencing seems like it would be more effective in a culture where defendants show deference and remorse in 99% of cases.

The yakuza is a lot different from other criminal organizations and thus, higher tolerance of them wouldn’t yield nearly the same results.

I hear this rhetoric a lot, where the western world should imitate x, y, x system, and while there’s some value in that, I think a lot of people pontificating this don’t acknowledge that the US isn’t 99% one homogenous race (ie the Scandinavian model, Japanese model, etc.) and people overlook a lot of way in which foreigners in those countries are treated poorly.

Also, understandably, a lot of the statistics cited are nearly a decade old or more at this point and things have changed a lot globally in the past 10 years.

Otherwise I would say I gleaned a lot about Japanese culture in a single book about criminal prosecution than I might have in several literary fiction books lol.

[Derek Hynes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ever since I read "Rising Sun" by Michael Crichton I'm hooked on Japanese culture. Years later and I have two Japanese tattoos and a cat called Sushi so I'm buying into being a full Gaijin.
True Crime Japan gives us a variety of snapshots from a Japanese courtroom. Each story is equaling as fascinating for both the crime and the Japanese system that deals with it. My favourite was the bike thief who's mother stood as his character witness (I won't ruin it). Any book that has a blurb from Jake Adelstein (Tokyo Vice) is worth checking out. Of course I'm biased, like Paul Murphy, I'm an Irishman with a fascination with Japan.

[Esther Yann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Still haven't finished this book; it is taking a while to get into, but I love the depth of information it gives you into Japanese law and society. Loved learning about the Yakuza and was amazed to learn that police almost rely on Yakuza to 'balance' crime in Japan.
Very interesting and will update when I have completed the book.

[Kam-Hung Soh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Trials in Japan can be open and shut affairs; the prosecution presents overwhelming evidence of the crime, the defendant confesses and shows remorse, and the only uncertainty is the length of the prison sentence. Each chapter of the book is about a different type of crime, most of them in common with other countries (e.g. theft or possession of illegal drugs) and some crimes that are more frequent in Japan such as groping and matricide. For each case, we are given the background of the accused and the conditions and events that lead to them being in court. All the cases presented are straightforward with no twists or turns since the theme of the book is on how the justice system works. A chapter at the end summarises the Japanese justice system and how it compares to the UK and USA. A solid informative read written in a plain style.

[Gerald Kinro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Murphy provides a glimpse into Japanese society in this easy-to-read work. He classifies the Japanese criminal in to major types through his experiences in a Japanese courtroom. What is interesting is the procedure and the sentencing of these criminals as opposed to how things are done in the United States.

This book is an interesting and good read. Its major weakness, I feel, is that it is not true to its title. All research was done in a courtroom in Matsumoto, Nagano Prefecture. While certain elements of Japanese culture are the same in all Japan, cases from around the country would have added weight. Murphy gives some comparative analyses of crime in Japan and compares them with other countries. I like graphics. Presenting data in charts and graphs works for me.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book very interesting. An inside view of a Japanese courtroom. Paul Murphy follows several different cases and compares to western system of justice. Many of his comparisons are to Irish and British law, but he does look at the US as well. I was interested in the Japanese legal system and this is a good look at that.

[Azabu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delicious chapter on perverts, fascinating range of infractions that features one of the most common crimes in Japan--groping on the subway. In an effort to contain this behavior there are clubs that simulate rush hour traffic for a fee. The mix of irreverent and earnest observations yields a snapshot of modern underworld Japan sparkling with insight.

[Ian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating. It made me rethink the relationship between organized crime and the criminal justice system in the U.S. Japan's system is so obviously different, and yet similar in many ways also.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly recommend!

[Allisonlcarter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting look at the crimes of smallish-town Japan.

[Steci · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed the book, it was well written and showcased the Japanese judicial very well. It was an eye opener on another culture and on its 'darker side' per se. Really recommend it!

[Wondarer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book clearly brings a better picture on how justice is made for the Japs. I admire their judicial system in which they provided leniency and chances after chances for the crime made by the criminal depending on how remorseful they pleaded on their crime. Their sentence for murderer or killers are most likely 10 years and below.

Back in my country such offence might carry heavier penalties and at times sentence to death by hanging. Despite all those the Japs ensure that the prisoners have a place to stay or a job assured after their release.

Its an interesting read overall.

[Damon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Paul Murphy provides this readable gem on some of the motives that drive crime in one of he safest societies on the planet. This book is the result of over a year of careful observation of courtroom trials in a Japanese locality. The result is a survey of criminals in Japan, their stated motivations, and the grisly, tragic, or occasionally darkly comedic circumstances of their predicaments. The finished product shows some of the stresses that Japanese society is struggling to deal with, and does so without high-minded preaching in the process. This is a worthy addition to any library of contemporary Japanese societal issues.

[Claire · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this fascinating. The stories of the criminals are interesting enough but it is the general information about crime and such that I found the most interesting. Things like the police making an appointment to arrest you.

The kind of things that go in on Japanese court would not happen in western culture and I don't think it is something that could even be introduced. Westerners are just not honest enough. Although Japanese prison does not sound like it is very pleasant. Very regimented.

[Rich Saskal · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an interesting and insightful view of Japanese society from an unusual angle.

The author, an Irish journalist, spent many months watching criminal cases flow through the court system of a provincial Japanese city. Not only is the way such cases are handled dramatically different to what we experience in the West, many of the crimes that land the accused in court are of a nature that can't be imagined here.

This is not a salacious book; instead the unusual filter it uses provides a fresh way to view the distinct way Japanese society works.

[Nina · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book! Murphy draws on common court cases in Japan to explain the culture to his western audience, contrasting Japan's court system and attitudes toward crime with the US and Europe. Murphy's conclusion is that we could learn a lot from the Japanese court system, although it does have its own blind spots - particularly because the prosecutor/judge relationship is so much more cozy than ones in the west. Highly recommend for the foreigner who wants an interesting way to learn about things like Japanese attitudes toward crime, family, drugs, sex, and social obligation.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

This wonderful book is not true crime of the usual sort. Irishman Paul Murphy spent a year sitting in an ordinary courtroom in Matsumoto City, Japan, and following the variety of cases that passed through. He distilled what he saw into this thematically organized book, which deals as much with the nuances of Japanese culture as with the stories of individual lawbreakers. Highly recommended for Japanophiles, as well as for anyone who enjoys crime writing beyond the usual murderous fare.

[Brandon Chin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I questioned what it means to repent.

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book could really be broken into three separate books - the crime stories, the legal history of Japan and regular statistics/living of Japan.
I was hoping for so much more and while the actual trials/crimes are interesting everything else is just a filler. This reader felt it dragged the book down.